Home in the World

Last Updated on February 22, 2024 by Home in the World

Kicking off the ‘Perth Street Art’ section of the website, I thought I would jump straight in at one of the most arty areas of Perth – the suburb of Mt Lawley. Cutting straight through its heart is the popular thoroughfare of Beaufort Street, lined with trendy cafés, quirky shops and the historic Astor Theatre.

But venture slightly off the main drag and you will find abundant examples of funky street art – whether it be in secluded laneways, hidden corners or even supermarket car parks. I’ve tried to capture and collate as many artworks here as I can, and credit the artists whenever I am able to identify them (btw: the header photo is ‘Learning to Slow Down’ by Andrew Frazer on the left, and artwork by The Black Mountains on the right). If there are any I can’t find, feel free to leave a comment below if you happen to know who they are so I can credit them!

An unexpected find was Boodja Lane, which, despite being a literal back alley a block or two off Beaufort Street, is arguably the main hub of Mt Lawley’s street-art scene! The following collection of images were all taken down this one small laneway, with pieces by the likes of Graffiti Galaxy, Melski, Fieldey, Robert Jenkins, Miss Tones & Dibs, Sam Shields, PotionX, Shrink, Paul Deej, Martin E Wills, YOWZA and Amok Island.

And just when you thought the flagtail rockcod was the end of it, you turn right onto the even smaller Danker Lane at the end and are immediately struck by the amazing, ethereal mural by Bec Abdy, plus a couple of other elaborately graffitied garage doors. I had to literally get my back up against someone’s front door to be able to take a picture of Bec Abdy’s work but it was worth it. A gorgeous piece indeed.

Back on the main drag and, partially hidden behind a tree, the dark brick exterior of Salsas Fresh Mex Grill is brightened up with a vivid piece by Melski, the cactuses and chihuahua picking up on the Mexican vibe.

Further up Beaufort Street is the Astor Theatre and Astor Lane, which are another source of inspiring street art, varying in scale from oversize murals to cheeky characters on unexpected building recesses. Sitting very much at the large end of this scale is the striking mural by Jerome Davenport (a.k.a. Ketones 6000), depicting the famous Louis Armstrong and local Perth vocalist, Reija Lee.

Other walls of the Astor Theatre are equally snapshot-worthy. And if you find yourself waiting at the traffic lights on Walcott Street, waiting to cross Beaufort Street, you can admire them from your car window – though it is preferable to actually walk over and get a proper look in person. The blue outdoor staircase provides a fun, quirky frame for the historic artwork by Melski, depicting the same location from the 1920s. And if the ‘Sinamon Girls’ look familiar in style, it’s because they were painted by Bec Abdy, whose ethereal mural I mentioned earlier.

A few steps along from this mural, heading north along Astor Lane are ‘Kye’s Hands’ by Hope (a.k.a. Brendan Lews) and Indigenous artist, Kambarni. The mural’s title refers to the hands of a year-8 student called Kye Ryan reading braille. The artwork was created as part of the ‘No More Blank Walls‘ street-art festival held in Mt Lawley in April 2022.

Below are a few more pieces of cute art in slightly unexpected places along Astor Lane. Sometimes it’s all about looking in places you wouldn’t normally – such as on ceilings or, as is the case for Ian Mutch‘s little blue man, in quiet little recesses of buildings.

If you get stuck in traffic (it’s a busy area!) as you head out of Mt Lawley and approach the intersection between Guildford Road and East Parade, you may be lucky enough to spot the fantastic ‘Fish’ artwork by Hurben on the wall of the overpass. I was unfortunately only able to snap one part of it through the passenger-side window of the car (there are actually 2 fish), but hopefully some of you might get a better shot of it!

The final spot I visited was one of the biggest treasure troves of all – and it was surprisingly in a supermarket car park. The car park between Raglan and Grosvenor Roads, to be exact (plus one piece by Daek William on the exterior of the supermarket building). I had spotted a few murals in the distance, but it wasn’t until I got closer that I realised quite how many there were – because some were partially concealed behind the parked cars. But it was worth the dodging and weaving between vehicles to snap a few shots!

Certain walls have been painted as part of a collaboration between the local council and creative organisations such as the Beaufort Street Network, FORM and the Perth Laneway Collective. They have certainly done a fantastic job beautifying the bare brick walls of the car park. These striking paintings fusing nature and geometric patterns are by local artist Brenton See. I will be featuring more of his work in future street-art blog posts.

But there is also an eclectic mix of many other artists and styles depicting everything from local flora and fauna, to tigers, to sci-fi vibes and even a unicorn. Artists include Robert Jenkins (a.k.a. The Black Mountains), Steve Browne, Amok Island, Mel McVee (a.k. Melski), Paul Deej, Brenton See (again), Clarafosca and Kerise Delcoure.

And though Perth couldn’t be much further from New York if you tried, artist Paul Deej has done an amazing job of portraying some of the icons from arguably one of the most famous sitcoms ever to be set in that city: Seinfeld. Fans of the show will appreciate the lifelike depictions of all their favourite characters, who, alongside the core gang of Jerry, Elaine, George and Kramer, also include cult figures like the Soup Nazi. The spray-painted mural is 35 feet long and took about 12 days to complete.

This is far from an exhaustive representation of Mt Lawley’s rich street-art scene, but it hopefully provides a taste of its diversity and the talent of the local artists. Stay tuned for some more street-art posts on other areas of Perth, including Mt Lawley’s neighbouring suburb of Highgate.

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