Street art has become a marker of how sophisticated and cutting edge a city is in the 21st century. The quality of a city’s street art acts like a barometer of its ‘hipness’. City councils have stopped power-washing ‘graffiti’, and turned to promoting it as part of the cultural matrix. There’s never been a time when it’s been more fashionable, or the lines between street art and commercial interests have been so blurred.
Street artists can expect commissions that see them travel the world to create their distinctive pieces on walls thousands of miles from home. Businesses commission artworks for the interior and exterior of their buildings, helping to define their brands in the process. Festivals of street art are held to entice leading artists and, on the back of their work, street art tourism.
We’ve come a long way from Rudy Giuliani’s ‘Zero Tolerance’ policy in 1990s New York, when graffiti was seen only as a precursor to an ever escalating series of more serious crimes. Giuliani would have conniptions if he was to visit modern-day Perth.
Perth, long considered a street art laggard in Australia, has spent the last few years trying to make up ground on the more illustrious street art scenes of Sydney and Melbourne. Since the ground-breaking Form Festival in 2014, Perth has been trying to set the pace in Australian street art. It’s thanks to the Form Festival that I came across a very familiar ‘face’, the work of Belgian artist ROA.
The giant snake that took up the side of a large building was as instantly recognisable as it was impressive. A true statement piece. Later on, as I wandered around the centre of Perth, I came across another ROA trademark animal, a big rat on the side of another building in the Central Business District. This area is a hotspot of urban art, and there are several streets filled with works by different artists.
There are a couple of other areas of the city where street art has proliferated with the official blessing of the city authorities. They all have a wide variety of national and international works. Starting with the Form Festival in 2014, this was a deliberate strategy to raise the city’s profile, and to make Perth a rival for cities more famous for urban art.
This public flourishing of street art has left Perth with a newly transformed cityscape. At times it feels a bit like you’re walking through a curated city, like an open air gallery, at other times it’s a bit like being on an art treasure hunt. A walk around the city will unearth a wealth of artworks; alleyways are turned into canvases, and nondescript buildings become the site of art pilgrimage.
At its best, this is what makes street art so exciting and, in Perth, it’s done well. It may lack a little of the anti-establishment meaning that made urban art ‘cool’, but these striking images make a stroll through the city more of an adventure.
Notes from Camelid Country 
You put Perth on my list of cities to see. Thanks!
Tatyana at http://www.arts-ny.com
It’s an interesting place to visit, the street art just adds to the allure!
I’m going to perth next month! this post was really interested! I’m hoping to find some of these spots when I’m over there
It’s a fun city to explore, have a great trip – and good luck finding the street art!
so inspiring! makes me want to visit
It’s certainly pretty exciting to see such large artworks.
I’ve never seen a country with so much street art that was actually pretty until I came to Australia. Melbourne was riddled with so much beautiful graffiti, there were laneways filled with people taking pictures of the art on the brick walls. Including me of course. Love that the city embraces it.
Totally agree, I loved the way Perth had allowed the art to transform areas of the city. I think Perth is trying to outcompete Melbourne for street art – probably not going to win that race though.
Co cool! I love the street art in Perth.
It’s a fun city, the street art was an added bonus!
Fab collection of the arts!
They were beautiful
very good. I’m now a sucker for Street art. Tot ziens.
I love finding places that embrace street art. Traveling around Australia, New Zealand, and Malaysia offered ample opportunities to find treasure troves of street art.
It’s one of the things I look out for when I visit a city these days. The more I learn about it, the more interesting contemporary street art becomes. Never been to Malaysia, but would be interested to see the different styles there.
amazing!! I really like street art and Perth seems to be a perfect destination 🙂 cheers PedroL
It’s an impressive place for street art, it really makes the city feel like a fun place.
super 🙂 thanks for your feedback! I believe I’ll go to Australia this end of the year, so I might see it 🙂 cheers PedroL
Very cool mate you would love Rio de Janeiro. Nice pics!
Cheers. Would love to go to Rio, the street art would be an added bonus!
Yeah totally. It rocks!