Having the final spray

In an old four-storey building in downtown Auckland, film-maker Karl Sheridan and artist Cinzah Merkens sit under the watchful eye of a kooky character eased into the corner of an otherwise banal wall.

  It's one of several characters  Mr Merkens has conjured up over his seven years as an illustrator and street artist - a craft he says is often misunderstood.

"There are connotations attached to anyone with an aerosol can," says Mr Merkens, who has experienced  negative reactions towards his work first-hand.

"I was commissioned to paint a mural and this woman came up to me and said, 'What are you doing. Are you allowed?' I said, 'Yes ma'am, I am, here's the letter.' And then she said, 'Oh, it's beautiful'," says Mr Merkens, who has exhibited work here in New Zealand, overseas, and been commissioned by collectors in Brooklyn and Berlin.

Hoping to dispel the stigma surrounding street art, he's teamed up with freelance film-maker and friend since primary school, Karl Sheridan, to produce a documentary on the craft.

"It's definitely something that's been on my mind for a good few years. It's something that needs to be done. With Karl and his skills, it's like our powers combined," he says of the collaboration.

Mr Sheridan laughs in agreement. "It's an opportunity for us to cross over our passions and find this common theme."

He says the documentary will have a strong emphasis on the artists behind the work. "The doco is as much to do with people as it is to do with the art. We're hoping it will mean a greater understanding. That street artists aren't just ...  young hooligans running around with spray cans.

"There's a misconception as to who these people are. They have day jobs, they have families.

"It's a way of expressing themselves artistically," he says of the eight artists who will feature in the film.

"There's an element that's illegally produced. But a lot of the people I know want to exhibit their work. Sometimes with that style it's hard to get that work up in a gallery," he says.

"We're following guys like 'Cracked Ink' Simon - he mows lawns for a living. So we'll be filming him creating his artwork and then out mowing lawns across Auckland."

Mr Sheridan, who has worked on productions like Yogi Bear and Spartacus, has maintained a keen interest in street art and says there has been a noted change in recent  years.

"Like any kind of underground movement it's becoming more acceptable. Everyone's still pushing the limits. A lot of what they do is character based. It's not so much tagging. Like Cracked Ink with his robots. A lot of it is commissioned now.

"If there's anything new and fresh and creative it'll be picked up by advertisers, which is cool, as long as it keeps getting pushed in new directions."

Presently self-funding their project, but looking for sponsors, the pair say it will be a long process but are releasing teasers of the work along the way.

They also plan to travel to Wellington and Melbourne to interview other street artists and document their work, producing a snapshot of street art and the people who create it.

To view a teaser from the documentary click here.

rebecca.blithe@theaucklander.co.nz