Hunt for artworks turns little red boxes into modern golden tickets

For Instagram followers in the know, the race is on down busy city streets as Australian art star Cj Hendry drops little red boxes in Sydney, New York and London like a millennial Willy Wonka

Tom Minear

3 min read

September 18, 2022 - 3:00PM

Kids News

Artist Cj Hendry’s little red box drops are back and art lovers in the know are seeking out the artworks in the streets of Sydney, London and New York with the excitement reminiscent of Charlie Bucket in Roald Dahl’s classic novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Picture: Russell Shakespeare

READING LEVEL: GREEN

With a customer list headlined by Kanye West and a price list soaring over six figures per piece, it isn’t easy to get your hands on the work of Australian artist Cj Hendry.

That’s why her fans will be racing across Sydney, New York and London this month in search of the golden ticket of the Instagram age: the bright red boxes she leaves lying in the street containing her latest creations.

Art lovers in New York, London and Sydney should keep their eyes peeled for Hendry’s “Copyright Infringement” drops. Instagram

Hendry has made millions of dollars and developed a cult following* for her hyper-realistic* pen and pencil drawings of everything from luxury goods to a crumpled $100 bill with West’s face on it – which the rap superstar promptly bought from her.

Rapper Kanye West bought this Cj Hendry artwork featuring his own face. Picture: Instagram

The Queenslander sold her first piece of art a decade ago through Instagram, where she now has more than 679,000 followers, many of whom are desperate to get their hands on one of her red “Copyright* Infringement*” boxes.

Wall Street stockbrokers and others walked past the statue of the Fearless Girl outside the New York Stock Exchange building in September 2018, unaware the box marked “Copyright Infringement” contained an artwork by Cj Hendry. Picture: supplied

This year is the fifth and final instalment* of the social media craze, which started by accident when the one-time university dropout’s plan to sell hundreds of T-shirts – featuring her drawings of Andy Warhol’s* photos of celebrities – was shut down by the threat of legal action.

The red box scavenger hunt began after Hendry was threatened with legal action for her Andy Warhol-inspired series. Warhol is the subject of this hyper-realist work by the artist. Picture: Instagram

Told to dispose of the T-shirts, Hendry decided to package them up in red boxes and drop them around New York, where she is based, posting their location on Instagram so her followers could pick them up.

Hendry’s boxes are simply left on the street to the bemusement of passers-by who don’t know the artist’s work – and for the first lucky art lover who knows what they’re looking at. Picture: Instagram

“It turned into this thing,” she said this week. “Because we had so much fun, we’ve done it every year since.”

This year’s edition features drawings inspired by street art legend Banksy* imprinted on T-shirts and hats, some of which will also be sold online from Monday morning.

Ten years ago, the self-taught Queenslander told her parents she was giving herself a year to see if she could turn her hyper-realist art into a living. Her work now commands six figures. Picture: Instagram

GLOSSARY

cult following: having a group of very loyal admirers
hyper-realistic: style of art depicting real life in an unusual, exaggerated or striking manner
copyright: a form of intellectual property protecting the original expression of ideas
infringement: an action that breaks a rule or law
instalment: one of several parts of something, as in one episode in a series
Andy Warhol: late American artist (1928-1987), leading figure of the pop art movement
Banksy: English graffiti artist, activist, film director and painter whose identity is unconfirmed

EXTRA READING

‘Little Picasso’ takes art world by storm

Artist’s illusions transforming the streets

Marilyn Monroe pop art makes a motza

QUICK QUIZ

Where did Cj Hendry sell her first artwork?
How did the red box social media craze begin?
Which artwork did rapper Kanye West purchase?
This year’s final edition of “Copyright Infringement” features drawings inspired by who?
How many followers does Hendry have on Instagram?

LISTEN TO THIS STORY

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Take a closer look
Examine some examples of Cj Hendry’s art. Answer the following questions.

Which of the art elements (line, shape, form, colour, texture, space and value) do you think are most important to making Cj’s drawings hyper-realistic? Comment on her use of 3 of these elements.

Do you like Hendry’s art? Explain why or why not.

Time: allow 20 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English; Visual Arts

2. Extension
Select an item from your classroom or lunch box to draw a hyper-realistic pen or pencil drawing of. Concentrate on using the art elements you identified as most important.

Time: allow 20 minutes + to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English; Visual Arts

VCOP ACTIVITY
Read this!
A headline on an article – or a title on your text – should capture the attention of the audience, telling them to read this now. So choosing the perfect words for a headline or title is very important.

Create three new headlines for the events that took place in this article. Remember, what you write and how you write it will set the pace for the whole text, so make sure it matches.

Read out your headlines to a partner and discuss what the article will be about based on the headline you created. Discuss the tone and mood you set in just your few, short words. Does it do the article justice? Will it capture the audience’s attention the way you hoped? Would you want to read more?

Consider how a headline or title is similar to using short, sharp sentences throughout your text. They can be just as important as complex ones. Go through the last text you wrote and highlight any short, sharp sentences that capture the audience.