Boon Street Art Festival 2023
Cinzah
Cinzah is a New Zealand based multidisciplinary artist, event producer, curator, tattooist and father of two, based in Napier. Cinzah paints from and for his environment, often expressing his views about pressing environmental issues, with a strong sense of colour, movement and balance. His work also explores themes such as the interrelationship between man and nature, duality, mythology and storytelling.
Kell Sunshine
Kell Sunshine, a muralist, lettering artist and illustrator from Tairāwhiti, has a big appreciation for the magical, reciprocal relationships between Mama Earth's inhabitants. She loves to travel and is grateful to be frequently invited to create work across the globe. With a spirit that is shaped by environmental elements Kell is always eager to gather inspiration from foreign shores and will never stray too far from the ocean. At home on the East Coast she can be found sowing seeds in the company of her dog Pipi.
Koryu
Koryu is a Dunedin artist, originally hailing from Japan. His artistic journey started in childhood, nurturing a deep passion for art. During his university years, an encounter with hip-hop ignited his interest in street art, inspiring him with its bold expressions. He worked as a graphic designer in Japan, and after exploring the world during his travels abroad, he settled into the vibrant art scene of Melbourne, Australia. It was there that he embraced his true identity as an artist. Focusing on mural creation, Koryu's artistic expression extends to canvas and digital art, showcasing his versatility.
Gary Venn
Gary has been a keen drawer from an early age and this has continued on into his work as a professional illustrator. Organic mark making and texture is therefore the main focus, in both his commercial work and personal artwork — his hand drawn elements are refined. When doing work outside of the commercial illustration scene, Gary likes to take things back to the basics, producing work in pencil or ink, or occasionally using print-making techniques.
Haser
Kairau ‘Haser’ Bradley is a Māori artist of Ngā Puhi descent, born and raised in the western suburbs of Auckland. After decades of dedication to the urban canvases and 10 years navigating the corporate space of the design world, Haser now occupies a full time art practice. He is one of a handful of artists at the forefront of the graffiti and street art scene in New Zealand — with over 20 years of contribution to the graffiti community, representing and exhibiting at international events throughout Australasia, North America, Asia, Middle East, Europe, and the UK. Haser’s work reflects a lifetime of exploring the limits and boundaries of the alphabet in the context of graffiti. These studies have manifested into a post graffiti narrative which illustrates a story of his fear of love, a place for his people and hope for a better world.
Alice Alva
Alice is a multi-disciplinary artist and educator based in Kirikiriroa Hamilton. She has a keen interest in craft-based practices and the emotional connections that we develop with textile objects, particularly in relation to memory, love, and loss. Her work spans across various mediums, including embroidery, painting, illustration, and graphic design. Her work is found in private and public collections across New Zealand and Australia.
Jesse Mosen
Jesse is originally from rural Waikato, where the local dairy held the key to his artistic future — a comic book. Fuelled by 80s and 90s nostalgia, kgs of faily tofu and the chaotic urge to always create, Jesse spent his days in a spiral of fantasy based optimistic vibes that, through imagination, forged a path. A decade in the tattoo industry gave him the opportunity to meet many spectacular humans, and was taught the grand lessons of hard work and dedication, helping him become a self-sufficient artist and carve out a way in the creative world. After leaving tattooing in 2020 to focus full time on art, Jesse found himself addicted to creating narratives.
