About Stencil Art

Stenciling is one of the oldest forms of art, with hands used at templates on prehistoric cave drawings.  Stencils were used in the development of prints for fabric, books and illustration through the middle ages. Stenciling as a modern art form, emerged in the early 1980’s in New York City and Paris, with artists using stencils to evolve free hand graffiti art creating a unique genre within street art.


While stencil art has evolved into a sophisticated art form, it has remained and thrived in being understated and underground, with many artists keeping their identity a closely guarded secret.  This is due in part to the often illegal nature of graffiti, and in part the artists desire to use their art as a form of social and political commentary.

There are now many well recognized and highly documented stencil artists, and many locations across the world where stencil art has made an impression.  One community that regularly keeps track of this global art form is The Wooster Collective; www.woostercollective.com .

Melbourne is regarded a once of the centre’s of stencil art. There are many established artists and a thriving community that engage in and support stencil art. Galleries specifically devoted to stencil art such as Per Square Metre (http://www.persquaremetre.com/), and books such as Stencil Graffiti Capital: Melbourne (www.stencilgraffiticapital.com) demonstrate the depth and diversity of the Melbourne scene.  

The City of Melbourne recognizes the value of stencil and street art through establishing of designated areas (see: http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/info.cfm?top=145&pa=3274&pg=3842). In this environment artists have an environment where their expression explored legally.  The Melbourne Stencil Festival, established in 2004, has provided the opportunity to exhibit work, develop collaboration, educate and generally support the stencil art and artists.