Vandalism charges revive street art controversy

In NY and London, Anthony Lister has high profile sales and gallery shows. In Brisbane he has been arrested for making street art.
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Anthony Lister’s piece as part of the Hit The Bricks street art festival in Newcastle. Photo credit: Simone De Peak. 

Recently, a satirical prank that postulated the arrest of London street artist Banksy made international news. The jape was designed to demonstrate how unacceptable it would be for such a valued artist to be prosecuted for drawing on walls.

Unfortunately in Brisbane arresting a successful artist for graffiti is no joke. Renowned street artist Anthony Lister appeared in Brisbane Magistrates Court early Saturday morning on 12 charges of wilful damage, some dating back to 2009.

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Madeleine Dore
About the Author
Madeleine Dore is a freelance writer and founder of Extraordinary Routines, an interview project exploring the intersection between creativity and imperfection. She is the previous Deputy Editor at ArtsHub. Follow her on Twitter at @RoutineCurator