Sloane Kim

Guest writer

Sloane Kim is a non-binary/queer illustrator, born in SoKo and raised in the sprawling, concrete, suburban pastures of Auckland, New Zealand. They studied architecture for a few years before dropping out to draw for a living along with a few odd jobs help pay the bills.

Illustration: Sloane Kim

The Ponsonby Central mural saga and the exploitative nature of ‘art competitions’

It all started with a competition by Ponsonby Central asking for artists to submit their ideas on what to paint on its Brown Street wall. But when criticism over pay started to roll in, the Auckland restaurant complex deleted negative comments on its social media, escalating the whole affair into a full-blown standoff. Illustrator Sloane Kim takes us through the saga.

By Sloane Kim | 17th November, 2017