A group of mask-wearing artists have almost completely hosed down Melbourne’s iconic street art mecca Hosier Lane in a coordinated project on Saturday evening.
The group was captured on film by bystanders, with footage showing the unidentified group using paint-filled fire extinguishers to coat the various murals lining the walls of the laneway.
The incident occurred at around 7:30pm on Saturday evening, according to witness reports, with the group verbally moving on the tourists present in the laneway at the time before commencing the work.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B8TsRBHHxnd/
Some of the murals affected, according to social media posts, include the mural of Lizzo situated next to the entrance of Culture Kings, and the Celeste Barber mural painted in the wake of her massive bushfire fundraising efforts last month.
About a quarter of the street art on Hosier Lane in Melbourne has been ruined. The piece feat. @lizzo outside Culture Kings among them. Video of the “vandalism” on the @3AW693 website. pic.twitter.com/TJeL5XAMTx
— Pat Mitchell (@patty_mitchell) February 9, 2020
According to Hosier Lane enthusiasts.. The men have used fire extinguishers at approx 7.30pm Saturday to spray their bad joy. It’s splattered on a mural of Comedian Celeste Barber. @10NewsFirstMelb #springst pic.twitter.com/InadL4k6tc
— Simon Love (@SimoLove) February 9, 2020
https://twitter.com/NickdMiller/status/1226639350487646208
Paint bomb in #hosierlane #melbourne @abcmelbourne pic.twitter.com/5Tqx4BbkMm
— Iskhandar Razak (@Isk137) February 9, 2020
City of Melbourne officials are already on the scene this morning, with clean up crews using high pressured hoses to remove the paint that settled on the laneway’s cobblestones. It’s unclear at this stage whether the artwork will be restored or, as is common practice in Hosier Lane, the walls will be left to be painted over by future works in time.
Paint bomb in #hosierlane #melbourne #cleanup #graffiti #graffitiart @abcmelbourne pic.twitter.com/Eha2KekUsy
— Iskhandar Razak (@Isk137) February 9, 2020
Private and public #streetart destroyed by paintbomb in #hosierlane. Cleanup underway @abcmelbourne pic.twitter.com/jX7QxXVuTe
— Iskhandar Razak (@Isk137) February 9, 2020
While idle punters on social media have expressed fury in the immediate wake of the incident, and City officials have confirmed an investigation has been launched, it’s worth noting that there is some level of approval from the street art and graffiti community itself, and that Hosier Lane has, over the past little while, seen an increase in corporate-funded artworks, stunts, and installations, which includes murals-as-ads.
Those responsible are yet to be identified, nor has any group come forward to claim responsibility for the stunt. However the crew did appear to have their own cameras present – including a drone – so that could be a mere matter of time.
