Mural maestros Blank Walls will leave a creatively colourful legacy on the urban fabric of Subiaco.
Perth-based international mural creators Blank Walls have been headquartered in Subiaco for a few months in their pop-up gallery at 83 Rokeby Road, just across the road from the Subiaco Hotel. The pop-up gallery is highlighting original artworks from both local legends and talented artists from across Australia and is also where you can pick-up exclusive merch. If you’re keen to talk about a mural of your own, the team are all ears. More importantly the crew want to engage with people about murals in general and their value while getting to know the locals.
While in Subi, they’ve created No More Blank Walls Subiaco, a festival of art and music events which has drawn attention to outdoor art around the city. It culminated in a 10-day festival of the painting of 11 murals between October 17 and 27. With the paint barely dry, you can find them on such streets such as Alvan, Rowland, Churchill, Townshend and Hiddlestone around central Subiaco.
Artists featured on the 11 walls are Starsan, Hayley Welsh and Curtis Hylton, Wild Drawing, Bec Abdy, Dan Bianco, Graeme Mile-Richards, Fintan Magee, HWJ, Miser, Danby, Tessa Dorotich and Sofles. As varied as the group is, so too are the works you’ll see. The painting process was augmented by free walking tours from Oh Hey! WA.
So, what is the value of a mural? It can hold significant cultural value and serve as a powerful visual narrative that reflects the identity, history and values of a community. They transform mundane walls into vibrant canvases, inviting dialogue and engagement among diverse audiences. Public spaces are turned into colourful open-air galleries, making art available to all and reminding us of the beauty and complexity of human experience. This makes outdoor art not only vital expressions of culture but also of community identity. Plus, it is just fun and fascinating to look at.
The group’s mission has been to create “a street art festival with a purpose to beautify cities and bring people together in a celebration of street culture”.
“We want to get people talking about murals and street art,” says Blank Walls co-founder Will Clark. “We want to get them out in the streets looking at it. I’m looking forward to seeing the transformation in Subi now all the murals are done.
“The works by this group of artists are all very different and done using different methods. Apart from the end result, I hope people enjoy that aspect of the murals too.
“We have given them all a bit of creative freedom while knowing what their styles are, which range from life drawing and still life through to surrealism and everything in between.”
Will worked in mining for 10 years before he joined the group and says it’s a blessing to be doing something he’s so passionate about.
“I love how we can bring people together to appreciate street art in all of its forms. These 11 walls really showcase the cool stories of different artists and what they are capable of if you give them free reign.”
Blank Walls have held similar mural festivals in South Hedland and Mount Lawley over the last few years, but this one is their biggest yet. They hope to stage their next street art festival in Manchester, England in the next couple of years.
“These murals are really going to draw people to Subiaco. The City has a very artistic community, and I think the walls will add to that. We’ve learnt that when people make a connection to a piece of street art, it creates some kind of ownership for the community. Even if they have only been involved in a small way in its creation, they also take some ownership and that’s positive.
“Ultimately the value of art is in the eye of the beholder, but these works will also bring people together, getting them outside and encouraging people to discover their local area more deeply or draw them to Subiaco.”
For a map of the new murals, click here. The Blank Walls Gallery is open daily from 10am – 5pm until the end of December.
