We're celebrating ‘Mural Month’ in our City with gifted artists working across various spaces.
Murals are much more than artistic expression and aesthetics. They have the ability to create a new identity for an area, can address graffiti and tagging issues, showcase our community's history and stories, share messages about our environment and breathe new life into spaces and buildings.
We've worked with brilliant artists Hari Koutlakis, Jasmine Crisp, Jack Fran, Julia Blanka, Nicky Create, TaylrJay, Tony Barber and also students from Immaculate Heart of Mary School to create a host of stunning new murals.
Find out more about each mural below and see how they've transformed each space. We encourage everyone to view the murals in-person too.
Thank you to all the talented artists, students and community members involved.
2023/24 Art Grant Recipients:
Aye Frank Café Mural in Flinders Park – Hari Koutlakis
Local artist Hari Koutlakis is a painter and muralist specialising in monochrome paintings, illustrations and installations using organic and hard edges shapes.
Hari weaves together a predictable chaos of flow to create his signature and recognisable style, and invites viewers to immerse themselves in a world of wonder and imagination.
Montrose Flowers Mural in Hendon – Jasmine Crisp
Adelaide based painter and muralist Jasmine Crisp practice features local figures, spaces and belongings from her lived experience that are combined to create playful genre paintings of the imagined familiar.
The mural was developed after discussions with the shop owner to enhance and soften a very busy road. The artwork is now a welcome addition to Tapleys Hill Road, with people stopping to admire the beauty of this artwork.
Wander Home Mural in Grange – Jack Fran
A self-taught ‘street’ artist, Jack Fran’s origin as an artist comes not from graffiti, but from DIY punk ethos as a formative cultural movement. Jack uses colour to create mood, emotions on a subject’s face to create a moment, and still-life to represent narrative.
Jack transformed the side wall of the Wander Home store using floral patterns and pastel colours to welcome and compliment the store.
Park Terrace/Hawker Street Mural in Ovingham - Nicky Create
Nicky Create is a young Australian muralist and street artist with a passion for interactive, vibrant and colourful works of art. She specialises in botanical-inspired artworks that radiate energy, filled with vibrant colours, intricate detail and dynamic spray-painting techniques.
This mural is an entrance piece into the suburb of Ovingham. Working alongside a local gardening group, the artwork is designed to ignite the local area full of colour and art, to open the community's eyes to the power and beauty art can have within society to uplift and inspire.
River Torrens Outlet in Henley Beach South - Taylor Summers aka Taylrjay
Adelaide Hills artist Taylrjay utilises expressions and vibrant colours to foster emotional connections between humans, creatures and the natural environment.
This mural was inspired by community feedback during the Hooded and Red Capped Plover installation. Working in partnership with Green Adelaide and SA Water, the mural celebrates beloved local creatures and the natural beauty of the sea.
Click here to view a video reel of the artwork.
Other murals funded by the City of Charles Sturt:
Parfitt Square in Bowden – Julia Blanka
Artist Julia Blanka specialises in creative projects working with children and teamed up with students from Immaculate Heart of Mary School to brighten up an Exeloo toilet at a nearby reserve.
A fun collaboration with students took inspiration from a Hindmarsh Greening stobie pole artwork, resulting in the design of sketch drawings of cheeky local birds and fauna to add an amusing splash of colour and personality to the reserve.
Sam Johnson Reserve in Renown Park – Tony Barber
Illustrator Tony Barber offers a playful, charming and whimsical style to his designs.
Tony used his playful style to design an amusing illustration with dogs as the theme for an Exeloo toilet at a reserve that adjoined a local dog park. The design was creative, fun and has provided much enjoyment to all that visit the reserve.
