Skip to main content

Story: Creative life

Graffiti artist, Wellington, 2004

Image
Graffiti artist, Wellington, 2004

Graffiti art, which emerged in New York in the 1970s, became associated with the explosion of hip hop culture in the 1980s. Inevitably it surfaced in New Zealand, where Māori and Pacific influences gave it a local edge. Graffiti artist Juse 1 is shown painting a wall at Waitangi Park in Wellington. He and his friends have done commercial designs for clothing, posters and tattoos, and have exhibited their work at the Dowse Art Museum in Lower Hutt.

Using this item

Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand

by Leanne Tamaki

This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.

All images & media in this story

How to cite this page

Nancy Swarbrick, Creative life – Visual arts and crafts, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/1809/graffiti-artist-wellington-2004 (accessed 24 June 2026).

Story by Nancy Swarbrick, published 3 March 2009.