If you’ve ever paused to admire a statue in a park or stopped to check out a wicked sculpture on a street corner, then congratulations – you’ve just become an art lover.
Look carefully, and you’ll see that public art is all around us in the form of murals, mosaics, memorials and a host of other art genres. A vibrant art culture is a perfect way to lift an urban space and act as a bridge to connecting with locals and visitors to the area.
Here in Subi, we are proud to be standing neck-deep in history and culture, and much of our public artwork stands testament to that – quite literally. In fact, Subiaco has so much public art that we’ve even dedicated a map to it in the form of the Subi Art Discovery Trail. Here are just a few of our faves.
Subiaco was built on a Sunday
We’ve all seen it: a nine-metre mural that reflects the history of retail in Subiaco, it features several original shops (such as Wembley Ware) that could once be found in the area as well as local fixtures such as magpies, bicycles, cats and dogs.
The vibrant streetscape was painted by Perth artist Mel McVee, who has created more than fifty murals in and around Perth.
Ms McVee invited locals to come along and help her create the mural by using a ‘paint by numbers’ system, with more than fifty people coming forward to help out.
Where can you see it: on the side wall of the Cat Cafe, Laneway, 147 Rokeby Road, Subiaco
An Gorta Mor
Gaelic for ‘The Great Hunger’, An Gorta Mor is a haunting memorial that commemorates the Great Irish Famine of the mid 1800s.
The famine was so devastating that it killed up to one million people in Ireland, with another two million being sent away to escape its deadly grip.
The memorial incorporates a Celtic double spiral motif, representing the endless circle between birth and death, and a bronze sculpture of a keening woman, known as ‘Childless Mother’.
It depicts the loss, loneliness and grief of the parents left behind as they sent their teenage girls to Australia as a means for them to escape what later became known as the potato famine.
It was unveiled in Subiaco by the President of Ireland in 2017.
Where can you see it: Market Square, Subiaco
Paint Subi
A few years ago, the City of Subiaco joined forces with FORM to create ‘Paint Subi’, a project event that would see both local and international artists descend on our urban streetscape to create a whole range of public artwork.
These included:
The Boy on the Bicycle
Created by US artist Evoca1, this postal worker on a bike alongside a black swan is as local as it gets.
Where can you see it: Australia Post building, Subiaco
Become What You Dream To Be
A series of gorgeously whimsical creatures dreamt up by local muralist Hayley Welsh.
Where can you see it: Laneway, 144 Rokeby Road, Subiaco
Mural by Souix Tempestt
This riot of primary colours by this multidisciplinary local artist is pretty hard to miss. It’s typical of her work and fuses colour and form to investigate the integration of abstract expressionism with the urban environment.
Where can you see it: Between New Normal and Jus Burgers just off Roberts Road, Subiaco
Mural in Forrest Square Car Park
This psychedelic ode to Australia’s multicultural community is a fantastic addition to what would otherwise be a pretty dull space in the Forrest Walk car park.
The giant colourful Koala (representing Australia) holds a globe representing the indigenous population all the communities from around the world that have come together to make Australia the vibrant modern, multicultural society that it is today.
Where can you see it: On the side of the building that backs onto Forrest Square car park, just of Dennis Street, Subiaco
