Lush: Explicit Content

If shock value was worth money, Australian graffiti artist Lush would be rolling in dough. With graphic scenes of genitalia, ripped heads, and breasts, Lush has managed to offend more than half of the Australian population. For over 12 years, he’s been plastering the street with his obscene art and he’s more than proud of it. “It’s the ultimate self-gratification, f*ck jerking off, it’s just a lot better to hear random people talk about you and say the most outrageous sh*t,” he told Acclaim magazine.

That’s just a small taste of Lush’s unique personality. Raised as a Jew in Australia, his parents wanted him to be successful with lots of money. But where there’s a will, there’s a way and Lush chose to do anything he could not to conform to his parents’ will. In an interview with Bombing Science, a website dedicated to graffiti, he spoke about his relationship with his parents, “They [his parents] want me to make money because they are Jews. But I’m fightin’ the man ma bahaha!”

It’s apparent that he has no plans to put on a suit, become a businessman, and start a family. These are actually the last few things to do on his list, if they’re even on the to-do list. “I’ll get cancer from all the spray paint no doubt, maybe I’ll grow up at some point in the next 25 years? By then I’m assuming at least in my hometown graffiti will be eradicated or it’ll be thunderdome and I’ll be so busy driving my Ford Interceptor trying to scavenge fuel whilst wearing a leather jacket that graffiti won’t be a priority,” Lush told CFYE, an online blog. But I don’t think he needed to explain this for us to get the point . Lush is in the business to entertain and maybe offend people, all on purpose.

Recently, he’s found himself in Los Angeles doing a solo show. But he’s not too fond of LA or the people for that matter, “L.A is a dump, a total disgusting festering shithole, no wonder there are so many batshit crazy homeless people and thuggin’ azz gangsters killing each other over there it’s a fucking human zoo…a boatload of fakers and perpetrators out there in L.A, but I did meet a very small handful of people who weren’t concerned too much about sniffing their own farts,” he told CFYE.

But Lush wasn’t in LA to make friends, he wanted to prove a point. With so many graffiti artists conforming to what’s hot on the street artist scene, there’s very few artists to be impressed with, especially those coming from the States. It’s no secret that Lush doesn’t play well with others, many of his pieces were created to cover up other artists work or even send an insult or two. “Stupid people following other stupid people who followed other stupid people and so on. I think the people who shine are the ones who stop trying to impress those ahead of them on the food chain and just start their own food chain with them on top from the get go,” he said in an interview with Vandalog, an online graffiti blog.

It’s obvious that Lush has no fear of condemnation, or haters. Lush does whatever he wants, and he draws whatever he wants. “F*ck living scared of those who can destroy you… I most likely f*cked your mom at a swingers party,” he said half joking and half not about his haters with Bombing Science.

What can we expect to see next from Lush? “Hopefully a naked dwarf pouring spirits into people’s mouths, loads of crappy drawings and exquisitely shitty “paintings”. Perhaps some stuff to destroy and smash and so on. You know just another one to tell the grand children about…Last words? I’ll see you in Disneyland.” At least he has a sense of humor.