Pirate Empire - Sitlakone, Rutledge Lane

Text

This paste-up located on the corner of Rutledge Lane and Hosier Lane is hard to miss. Although it is splashed with neon overspray from other works and slightly torn where it looks like someone has tried to tear them down, the message of this piece by Sydney based artist Sittoula Sitlakone still stands strong.

Sitlakone is known for his political and environmental activism through his art. Here he has chosen to express his views about iconic business mogul Rupert Murdoch. Whether this is in reference to Murdoch’s News Corp phone tapping scandal or perhaps in regards to Murdoch’s accusations that Google is perpetrating a platform to harbour piracy is unclear. However like many other political and social activists Sitlakone never looks to educate his audience or advertise a strict message through the art, but rather looks to engage them in current events happening in their own country and promote conversation and questioning that corporate controlled media aims to avoid.