There’s A New Melbourne Street Art Precinct

If you’ve been to Melbourne, it’s pretty plain to see that the city is rather fond of its street art. If you actually live in the paint-splashed city, you’d know that the city is all about its urban creative activities. Either way, you probably won’t be too surprised that a brand new Melbourne street art precinct has just been revealed.

Earlier this week, six large-format murals by some of the nation’s principal wall artists were unveiled on the previously unused (and previously lacklustre) walls of the power substation on Spencer and Little Bourke streets. Artists collaborating on the project included Adnate, Smug, Dvate, Sofles, Rone and Fintan Magee, with murals depicting a range of striking faces and a bright yellow budgerigar.

Adnate’s mural, in particular, portrays a young local Aboriginal boy and is part of his series of large-scale murals of indigenous faces around the world, a venture he hopes creates a statement of reclaiming the land that was always theirs. “It’s kind of reclaiming these spaces that were taken away from them,’’ he told the Herald Sun. “It’s a positive way to give back to the indigenous community.’’

The project was run in cahoots with building owner CitiPower and Upper West Side developer Far East Consortium, but was orchestrated by the award-winning street muralist network, Juddy Roller – the same crew that splattered much-loved murals at Kimba silo, Fitzroy Faces, Brim silo and Northland Shopping Centre.

Despite a small amount of negative feedback, like a lecturer in street art at Melbourne University telling The Age, “These murals are kind of the equivalent of Avril Lavigne”, the general reception has been a thumbs-up.

The first group of murals are expected to be followed by another eight and, despite the gloomy Avril comments, we’re all for getting more Melbourne street art, we’re all for finding some more dreary wall spaces and dressing them up to the nines.

Get out there and check it out for yourself.

words by niall roeder