Street art transforms Huntingdale graffiti hot-spot
Published on 28 July 2015
A new street art mural on a wall near Huntingdale Railway Station has been officially launched today.
Monash Mayor Paul Klisaris and Parliamentary Secretary for Justice Ben Carroll launched the mural, which was funded with a $25,000 State Government grant.
Monash Council selected artist Niels Oetljen (Nails) to paint the mural on a wall that has been the target of graffiti vandals. The mural was completed in June.
Cr Klisaris said the colourful design of the mural was inspired by community members who attended a community consultation workshop in February.
“We wanted to do something special with this wall and reduce the amount of graffiti and tagging,” Cr Klisaris said.
“Graffiti can have an impact on how safe people feel so it’s important that we prevent it whenever we can,” he said.
“Over the past 18 months, Council has commissioned several street art projects in Monash and we’ve found them to be very successful at reducing graffiti and tagging,” he said.
“Those who tag or graffiti buildings often respect the work of street artists and tend not to tag or graffiti their work.
“We have already completed street art murals in Village Walk, Glen Waverley; the Thomas Street laneway in Clayton; and on the wall of a milk bar in Jordanville.
“In another great partnership with the State Government, we are also upgrading the Mary Street laneways in Clayton. Vibrant street art will be created on walls and pathways, to complement new lighting, trees and communal seating. Work on this project is expected to be finished by October 2015.”
Artist Niels Oetljen said he wanted to create a mural that bought “joy and energy” to the area.
“My hope is that my design will appeal to people of all ages including children, young adults (students) and adults,” Mr Oeltjen said.
“I also hope that the mural might become a talking point for families passing by to talk about art, landscape and nature,” he said.
“The inspiration for this design came from the stencil works produced by people in the community consultation workshop. I was struck by the colour and style of the works and decided to incorporate those into my design.”