Doggy Style - Graham Hoete

Graham Hoete who goes by the name Mr.G is a

street Graffiti artist based in Papamoa Tauranga.

Graham recently appeared on TV3 news as a

special on his new form of spray painting. Graham

is painting dog portraits and he aims to paint 100

dogs by the end of this year. The main reason

he’s chosen to do this form of spray painting is to

change peoples view on what he does as an artist

and shift peoples perceptions of Graffiti art in

general. This is why he labels his work Aerosol

Fine art instead of just Graffiti.

Graffiti art is usually looked apon as being a

negative and almost criminal action as a lot of the

artworks started out as vandalism and most of the

“tagging” done is used as gang territory markings

which results in more gang violence. This has a

very discouraging reflection on our society as New

Zealanders who display the stereotype of having a

friendly and warm hearted approach.

When the Graffiti art is made in a positive manner

the artwork can often depict emotions in the viewer

and this is what Graham Hoete is striving for in his

dog portraits. He wants people to look at his works

and say “wow, how did you do that with a spray

can?”. Graham has accomplished this technique

and proven he can with one of his first portraits

for a man named Greg Clarke who lost his dog to

possum hunters. Graham spray painted a portrait of

Greg’s dog Cruz and the emotions that came across

when Greg and his wife saw the artwork of their

dog almost brought them to tears.

I feel that in the graffiti art world more of these

types of works should be produced, where the art

has meaning and portrays an emotion. This way

when the public views graffiti art, they can gather a

different prospective on what it really is. Instead of

observing the art with such deep pessimism. Street

art and Graffiti should not only be able to target

the urban and street culture society in a positive

outlook but it should be able to have an effect on

everyone as an individual in that regard as well.

Watch the 3News Interview at:

http://www.3news.co.nz/Tauranga-man-aims-

to-spraypaint-100-dog-portraits/tabid/551/articleID/157152/Default.aspx

References:

3News (2010) Retrieved May 24, 2010, from http://www.3news.

co.nz/Tauranga-man-aims-to-spraypaint-100-dog-portraits/tabid/551/articleID/157152/Default.aspx