LTRHDS Letterheads is an exhibition of, you guessed it, letters of the alphabet.

But this isn’t just a grown-up version of Sesame Street. Each piece of artwork denoting A to Z has been produced by 26 different artists, cartoonists, graffiti artists, graphic designers and illustrators from Australia, UK, US, Japan and Brazil. The free exhibition is the brainchild of artists Alexander Mitchell and James Reka (who’s exhibiting) and each of the contributors is a friend, collaborator or contact of the two curators.

Every work is original and available for sale (there is also an exhibition catalogue for $49). Here are some of my highlights:

A by childrens book illustrator Graeme Base. I treasured my collection of Graeme Base books when I was growing up, from Animalia to The Eleventh Hour. This piece is a great example of his fine brushwork and his ability to capture natural textures. You can read/listen to an interview with him here.

D by Shun Kawakami. This piece was my favourite – I loved the Japanese-style inky brushstrokes, so reminiscent of elegant calligraphy. Kawakami is also the co-founder of artless Inc, a design agency based in Tokyo.

I by Greg Larmarche, an artist based in New York. This collage is typical of his work and I liked the typography-within-typography approach by “I”.

U by Kano One7Two. The paper cut-out reminded me a little of the Play School windows, a little of Rob Ryan.

Z by Puzle. I think the artist’s name says it all.

When I spoke to Alexander on my visit he was already planning his next exhibition, inspired by Anthony Lister’s representation of “M” (a line drawing of his two palms) - artists’ interpretations of human features or parts of the body. In the meantime, LTRHDS Letterheads is showing in Melbourne until Friday 19 March at the fabulous multi-use space 1000 £ Bend.

LTRHDS Letterheads, 1000 £ Bend, 361 Little Lonsdale St, Melbourne

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