The display includes friends and enemies, solo operators and those in crews. Most are men, though there are many highly-respected women artists in the scene and they are represented here. There are artists who have been jailed for their output and those who have narrowly escaped such fate. The majority of artists focus solely on graffiti and make livings in a range of fields from nursing to IT to the trades. However, well-known styles or signatures will identify several exceptions who have careers in the “straight” art, design and illustration worlds.

Reflecting the spread-out nature of the built environment, the graffiti scene in Western Australia is considered to be more diverse and less organised than in other Australian states. The hot climate and general absence of shade also impacts the work being made: it is often brought into being in sharp bursts of intense activity to avoid sun and prolonged contact with hot surfaces. Its ever-changing form, therefore, speaks to the spirit of the artists, the particular feel of the region and the socio-economic pressures that graffiti might be a way of coping with, rebelling against or running from.