Where is the Line Between Graffiti and Art?

A fledgling Flox emerged around a decade ago from Auckland’s centre of vice and art, K Road. Using the city as her canvas, and stencils and spray paint as her tools, Hayley King aka Flox quickly made her presence felt, transforming grey walls into oases of ferns and flowers. Flocks of her trademark native birds could be found flying across city streets, breathing life into the urban environment and creating joyous celebrations of natural New Zealand.

Soon, the name Flox became synonymous with innovative works that bravely pushed the boundaries of graffiti art. Conjuring the vibrant shades of nature, the intense interplay of light and shadow and the beating wings of birds, Flox introduced romance and poeticism to an art form some viewed as vandalism.

“These invisible but very apparent lines have always been something that I've gone out to blur. How I see it, is that Art is Art, and Graffiti a sub-genre of this. My practice involves the use of the same medium as graff artists, so I often get pigeon–holed into this category, for this reason alone. For their own minds, viewers need to be able to categorize, which is fine, but for me as an artist making the work, I enjoy making art that people may have a hard time contextualizing within such genres. So, I believe the line between graffiti and art is one that changes from viewer to viewer, depending on how they file away their own take on art and all its sub genres.”

Single-handedly, Hayley led the flock towards a new kind of artistic expression: one that cherishes its community and the environment, and pays loving tribute to the natural world.
 
5 TOP TIPS FOR HOW TO GET INTO GRAFFITI:
1. Buy some spray paint and practice in your own back yard.
2. Go and check out all the amazing art around Auckland, both inside and out.
3. Make art in general, momentum is so important.
4. Go to shows, exhibitions and festivals, network with people.
5. Don't give up your day job, you've got a long way to go yet!
 
www.flox.co.nz