Five Female Street Artists to Watch in Melbourne

It’s no secret that Melbourne’s street art scene is becoming one of the most prominent in the world. This top five collection is a shout out to the ladies whose work is whimsical, eye catching, and utterly awesome.

Miso

One of Australia’s leading ladies in street art, Miso made a name for herself with her distinct style of imagery. Her drawn works have been displayed on the streets and in art galleries around the world, and she shares a studio with her partner and fellow street artist Ghostpatrol. Her work often depicts pensive women and cityscapes. Miso also often uses a subdued colour palette with intricate patterns or cut-out details. She is about to have an exhibition in October at Blackwoods Gallery, which you can check out here.

Vexta

Vexta is another big name in street art, who is also displaying her insane talent on streets and galleries all over the globe. Often her work will include neon-coloured diamonds and triangles that often depict motion (a trail of colourful sparks behind flying people) or emotion (tears descending from a skulls empty eye sockets). Recurrent imagery includes mutated creatures, flying nymphlike people, skulls, and skeletons making out with each other. Ultimately it is the vibrancy of her work that is her trademark. Chase the neon rainbow to her current exhibition — a group show at MARS Gallery called Psychedelic Daze.

Baby Guerilla

If you’ve seen paste-ups of people flying around the Brunswick/Footscray area, chances are you have come across a piece by Baby Guerilla.  These black and white illustrations are soaring all over Melbourne, with images of people either holding onto each others arms or ankles as they float above passers by. Baby Guerilla’s work is reminiscent of the children in Peter Pan who fly off to Neverland, giving the viewer a sense of adventure and whimsy. We had a chat to Baby Guerilla a while ago if you’re keen to know more.

Kaff-eine

If you like your street art vibrant, a bit child like, but also slightly morbid at the same time, then Kaff-eine is your girl. One of Kaff-eine’s most reoccurring images is of semi or completely naked women with dear skulls as heads and hoofs for feet. Also keep an eye out for her drawings and paintings of bunny kids, horses/deers/unicorns, and other mythical creatures. You can find Kaff-eine’s work anywhere from abandoned buildings to children’s books, and she is currently preparing to embark on her first international painting trip.

Be Free

Be Free’s images of young girls captures an innocence that makes her work instantly recognisable around Melbourne. The girls are often playing with, or surrounded by, playing cards either stuck to the walls or the ground around them. Sometimes they are adorned with colourful paint splatters, other times a red scarf or red stripy socks add a splash of colour. Either way they’re cute, feminine, liberating and lovely to stumble upon.

Honorable mentions

This list is barely scratching the surface of talented female street artists Melbourne has to offer. We recommend checking out the work of Klara, Suki, Precious Little, Doctor, Fresh Chop, and Shi Buffalo if you want to see more!