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Art & Heritage

Dunedin street art: heritage buildings got a serious lick of new paint

  • 2 minutes

Otago, South Island

Did you need another reason to visit Dunedin?

IF SO, HERE IT IS

It’s a brisk -10c in the sunshine (perhaps you better make sure you’ve a blunt umbrella in the backpack). It’s winter and you are in Dunedin. A great time for a Sunday morning stroll around city streets to observe the best street art in New Zealand. Melbourne better watch out. Inspired use of warehouse space. Dunedin has a new layer to its identity. Dunedin street art is glitter, monochrome, whimsical, challenging and humorous, the gamut of emotion is captured on a brick wall, thank you Dunedin.

Dunedin street art
Dunedin street art

HOW DID DUNEDIN ACQUIRE STREET ART?

Quoting from a Stuff interview Transforming Dunedin’s streets with art:

Top street artists are being lured to Dunedin with home-stays, tours of Castle St and rugby matches.

The Dunedin Street Art Trust has commissioned more than 40 artworks adorning walls around the city’s CBD – not bad considering it gets no funding from local or central government, chairman Scott Muir says.

What it does have is a blank canvas and plenty of ways to entice some of the best street artists in the world to visit the southern city… The trust, which has raised almost $150,000, wants each artist to become an ambassador for the city.

“We want the artist to go away with a great experience.”

The trust was set up more than four years ago, before street art “exploded” on walls in New Zealand and overseas.

Dunedin had several advantages over other cities trying to secure top talent, Muir said.

“Dunedin is full of amazing old architecture and interesting old buildings, but it also has a sense of blandness about it… what we have done is added some colour.”

Street art painted by ROA from Belgium which is located in Dunedin, New Zealand
Street art painted by ROA from Belgium

There was no shortage of locations for potential street art, Muir said.

The trust used its own funds, including from a recent fundraising auction, alongside some from building owners and local businesses.

The city was looking better as a result, Muir said.

“We’ve done the equivalent of putting a shiny new brooch on an old coat.

A charitable trust does wonders…”

Street art painted by Pixel Pancho from Italy, Dunedin, New Zealand Street art painted by Pixel Pancho from Italy
Dunedin street art, Otago, New Zealand
Dunedin street art, Otago

Artworks Dunedin street art. Here is a look at the street art, a taste of what you are going to see on your must do Dunedin weekend getaway.

The trail has now over 30 artworks. You need a map for the self-guided tour as the nook and alleyway you just walked past had a fabulous piece that you would have fallen in love with, if you had seen it.

Dunedin’s heritage just got a serious lick of new paint.

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