Street Value

“Full details are being kept secret,” says Pose, mysteriously, “But I will be using my signature style and a few secret ingredients to hand craft the public art installation on behalf of the Australian, family-owned brewer, Coopers Dark Ale. The only other thing I can say is, over the past two months I have been doing lots of drawing and lots of planning.” What he will disclose is that the work, on the corner of Rose and Brunswick Streets, Fitzroy, will pay homage to Australia's night owls and underground communities.

Pose is known for his progressive letter style and technical precision.He is one of Chicago's most prolific and high profile graffiti artists. “It's my city so I would love to say it's the best in the world but the world is currently providing some really stiff competition,” says Pose of Chicago. “We have a really rich regional history steeped in hardcore graffiti, but since the '90s we have also had one of the harshest anti-graffiti programs in the world. So it's a really tough scene to thrive in and the ones that do are only that much tougher.” Pose is most definitely one of the ones who is thriving. He has been a graffiti artist for more than twenty years but these days he also spreads himself across a whole lot of other creative platforms including commercial art and fine art. After twenty years in the game, his attitude towards the graff scene is one of respect. “I am over being jaded and living in the past, so I've tried to get out of the 'things were better or realer back in the day' mentality,” he says. “It's a new era and history is being made and remade everyday. I'm a big fan of movement and progression so if I adapt that to the current state of graff and street art today I would say it's incredible. The work people are doing now and things they are pulling off are unreal.”

As an artist hugely in demand, Pose works a hectic schedule. As well as working on the Coopers installation project, Pose is currently wrapping up a bunch of commissions; he is working on a solo show in conjunction with the Hello Kitty Hello Art book, as well as a two-man show with Revok, which he says “will be epic”. He's able to balance the huge amount of work he says, due to the blue-collar approach  of his upbringing. “I can create and provide all in the same breath, so for me it's an essential balance. With that said, the past decade has been a serious grind so at the end of this year I will be taking a much needed sabbatical from commercial work to focus more of my time and energy solely towards my fine art and street work.”

Pose who will fly over for the big revelation of his work with Coopers at 6pm on Monday 23 July says, “ I just want to experience as much of Australia as I can in the short amount of time I have, see my friends, paint, drink, eat, and enjoy.”

Pose's Life After Dark (Australian Art Installation) presented by Coopers Dark Ale exhibition runs from Monday 23 July, 6pm, corner of Rose and Brunswick Street.