THE START OF STREETART
Leah Albert, Founder

After several years spent mostly in Fiji I was settling back into full-time life here in Bondi and spotted the Merdogs mural on the sea wall. I fell in love with it and just wanted to take it home, but given my tendency to complicate things that quickly became the spark to develop a line of authentic, eco-friendly and truly local souvenirs featuring artworks from this iconic piece of Bondi.

There are so many stories behind the artworks and contributors, you have to dig a little to uncover them. Thanks to Jerome James and his efforts to collate the works at bondigraffiti.com there was a place to start. With the go ahead from Waverley Council’s curator Elizabeth Reidy, I started talking to some very talented artists. It's been an ongoing learning curve ever since.

As a happy accident the artworks chosen for launch all had a positive message around hope or environmental issues. The ethics behind Streetart Society were important to each of the artists.

Taiya Bukovsky of @awolcreations was the first signed artwork which became our branding image. The second was Merdogs, the piece that inspired the whole concept. Another highlight was signing Mulga’s long standing North Bondi mural, having stared at that from North corner waves for several years. It’s been a backdrop in my life, a classic local feature recently removed for structural work, that will now be preserved.

Wanting to include more solution based eco-friendly products in the range we are now excited to launch a line of unique reusable water bottles, soon to be followed by travel mugs. Aside from reducing the need for plastic bottles the range is custom printed inhouse, minimising wasteful over-production.

Our ongoing mission is to expand into artworks from other regions, celebrate the many social messages and contributions of street art and share a message of respect for the planet.

THE SEA WALL

The Bondi Beach Sea Wall has been in operation since the late1970s and has featured a mix of street and contemporary art with strong social and political messages throughout the decades. Over the years, the Bondi Beach Sea Wall has hosted the work of some of the best know street artists across the globe. Featured art works have ranged from collages, stencils, pop art, textworks, love notes and memorial portraits.

There are two murals that have been endorsed by Waverley Council for long-term preservation; “The Girl with a Frangipani in Her Hair” (dedicated to local girl, Chloe Byron, who lost her life in the 2002 Bali bombing) and the Anzac commemorative mural.

To support the diverse and dynamic character of Bondi, the artworks on the Bondi Beach Sea Wall are constantly changing. Each panel on the Sea Wall is allocated for a six month time period.

SOURCE: Waverley Council

Streetart Society celebrates the iconic Bondi Seawall murals with a line of eco-friendly art and giftware.

As part of Bondi’s rich history these murals have captured the imagination of locals and visitors for over 40 years. The stories behind our artists and artworks are the core of the company, inviting you to share in a piece of local culture.

Featuring past and present murals our art-with-heart products are Australian sourced with royalties from every sale going to the artist.

The unique style, variety and themes of urban artworks make for some truly unique products and an edgy alternative for gifts. The artists and artworks have a story to tell and we connect buyers to the heart of the community.

Keeping it recycled, Australian made and as plastic free as possible.

Living in Bondi means loving the ocean. It’s important to myself and the artists that products are eco-friendly and we use best practice. Our products are sourced from ethical suppliers. We use recycled and natural materials for printing and packaging. Our shipping is plastic free and we're keeping it local whenever we can, sourcing Australian products to keep the footprint low. We order in small quantities or by pre-order to minimise waste.

We're proud that the Streetart Society artists share a love for the environment and that shows in the themes of their work.

When you shop with us you're not only supporting our talented artists but you're supporting more sustainable business practices and environmentally friendly products.

Taiya Bukovsky
A Wall Gone AWOL – 2015

“The wall depicts freedom and unplanned expression. It mirrors life and our thoughts in a way that it may not always make sense but fits well together and works out in the end.”

A Sydney based artist, I’ve been drawing and painting as long as I can remember. Most of my work originates from the endless doodling that I did in textbooks during school. I love painting and creating because it’s my favourite form of expression. Its also an opportunity to free the mind, letting it be temporarily Absent With-Out Leave – hence @AWOLCREATIONS.

@awolcreations • streetartsociety.com.au/taiya-bukovsky

Lily Keenan
Merdogs – 2017

“These happy sea dogs drift together in harmony with the ocean, each of their ‘tails’ are inspired by a different type of marine botany. As we continue to pollute and jeopardise our oceans, this work can serve as a reminder of our seamless connection to the water that sustains us.”

A freelance artist from Western Australia I now live and work in Sydney.Intricate and sometimes strange, my art is partly realist and partly created by the imagination. Creating murals to raise awareness
of social and environmental issues I have worked with communities across the world to tell impactful stories through art.

@lilyjeankeenan • streetartsociety.com.au/lily-keenan

Rachel Giddens
Surfer Doggo – 2017

“I needed a plan for the work and immediately thought surfing dog! Later a traveller asked why the surfer doggo? I replied ‘because with so much hurt and hate and bad things happening in the world, people could do with a surfing doggo.”

Working in a variety of creative fields, I have been doing visual arts and photography since a young age. After studying and working in the film industry, I found myself indulging in visual arts inspired by the people I met and places I travelled. Reviving my childhood hobby my works gained attention and followers across the globe were interested in my oeuvre - expressive realism with a unique distinct edge. I’m currently working out of my studio in Bondi, juggling work and lifestyle, one coffee at a time.

@artistmakesart • streetartsociety.com.au/rachel-giddens

Jenna bloom
Handful of Love – 2017

“My piece promotes the power of love. I really believe love is the answer, love towards your fellow human being and our earth is the key to a compassionate and a sustainable world.”

(b.1984 Johannesburg, emigrated to Australia – 1987). A self-taught spray paint, stencil artist from Sydney, Australia. YoNa has the unique ability to capture, and stencilise, the essence of the individuals she takes the time to meet. She has a strong passion for social issues and is known for her social commentary on topical issues, often from a satirical angle.

@artbyjennabloom • streetartsociety.com.au/jenna-bloom

Silly Pear – Charlie Nivison
Cosmic Fate – 2018

“My artwork titled ‘Cosmic Fate’ is all about how we may have to search for waves on other planets if we continue to treat the ocean and environment the way we currently we do.”

Silly Pear, a.k.a Charlie Nivison, is a Sydney-based artist whose artworks are bold, playful, and colourful. Growing up in a creative household in northwest NSW and studying graphic design in Canberra, Nivison is strongly inspired by music, movies and pop culture. An obsessive surfer, Nivison would like to ‘paint more murals and public art (as well as) get some bigger barrels!’. When he isn’t creating artworks he works as a screenprinting bold and graphic illustration and type work upon t-shirts.

@sillypear • streetartsociety.com.au/charlie-nivison

Mulga
Bondi Pool – 2016-2019

“The red and yellow flags, the aqua waters, the summer vibes and the pink celebratory dolphins. It’s what Bondi’s all about and I like it.”

An iconic backdrop to the beach, this Bondi mural and Mulga’s vibrant style are a part of local art culture. Mulga is Sydney based artist, Joel Moore, a man with unique style and inspiration. He creates unforgettable artworks of the things he loves to draw; bearded characters, gorillas, lions and magical creatures with laser beam eyes. Originally Mulga worked in economics and finance, until he realised that making art was much more fun.

@mulgatheartist • streetartsociety.com.au/mulga

Long-time Bondi resident and ocean lover Leah Albert has worked as a graphic designer all over the world, including a three-year stint living on board a yacht in Fiji with a group dedicated to cleaning up the world’s oceans. A chronic ocean obsession has seen her volunteering with various organisations, sailing around the South Pacific with Ocean Ambassadors, wildlife volunteering in South Africa and Costa Rica, whale swimming in Tonga, jumping in on beach cleans and support teams and surfing or snorkelling most days amid Bondi’s local schools of fish, grouper families and octopi.

After several years overseas, Leah was settling back into full-time Sydney life and fell in love with the Merdogs mural on Bondi's sea wall. That was her spark to develop a line of authentic, eco-friendly and truly local souvenirs featuring artworks from this iconic part of the beach.

“Bondi is known the world over and has such a colourful personality, so I want the brand to capture that and reflect the values of a vibrant, ocean loving community. Wherever they live, people can take a little memento of Bondi life home with them."

Streetart Society launched as a side hustle over Christmas in 2018 and has been evolving ever since.