A local’s guide to Victoria’s best street art

Shaun Hossack is one half of the driving force that is Juddy Roller, the street art management agency responsible for some of the most epic mural creations in Australia. We asked Shaun to give us the low down on the world of ‘vandals’ gone good:

Ode to the OG“Everfresh is one of Australia’s oldest and most well respected street art collectives. Currently based in a recently converted art factory in Collingwood, members of the famed crew, including Rone, Meggs and Makatron have gone on to dominate the Australian street art scene and are fast becoming recognised as some of the world’s best.”

Way out west“Guido Van Helton recently completed one of the largest murals ever painted in Australia. The mural took about 20 days to complete and is located in the tiny Western Victorian town of Brim. Guido has taken what is now an old, decommissioned Graincorp silo and turned it into what is arguably one of the most iconic and important large scale works ever painted in Australia. Worth the trip!”

Feeling Festive“Wall to Wall Festival is another reason for dusting off the old akubra and heading out bush. Based in the regional town of Benalla, the annual Wall to Wall is Victoria’s only major street art festival, meaning, it is the only place to see Australia’s best street artists come together in one place to flex their might.”

Playing Favourites“In terms of Australian street artist, I would have to say Adnate. Born and bred in Melbourne, he’s got an equal amount of coffee and paint fumes running through his veins. He has had more of an impact on the streets of Melbourne than any other street artist. His empowering portraits of indigenous Australians, towering up to eight stories high, have left a cultural mark on the landscape that won’t ever be forgotten. He’s one of the most hard working, honest and genuine people I know, it’s artist like him that make my job so fun!”

Next Wave“To choose just one artist is tough but I would have to say Guido Van Helton. He has spent the last few years honing his talent all over Europe, including murals up to 11 stories high in places like Belarus, Iceland, Ukraine and Berlin. He’s recently come back to home to work on a number of large-scale mural projects and I think he’s about to take Australia by storm.”

He didn’t just paint that!?“The bogan wall was easily the most controversial project we’ve had the pleasure of working on. It wasn’t really supposed to be but I guess when you tell a group of the world’s most talented street artists, “you’ve got free reign, go for it,” it’s to be expected. The mural features an overweight man drinking tinnies (beer can) and smoking, all the while wearing his beloved blue singlet and showing off his southern cross tattoo, the archetypal “aussie bogan”.  Located on Fitzroy’s Brunswick Street, in a strange way it’s one of the most fitting murals you could hope to see on a street the was once known as the bohemian capital of Melbourne, as it’s now filled with upscale restaurants, retail outlets, pubs and bars.”