Collingwood's Street Art Scene Transforms Through Decades of Public Murals

Collingwood's street art includes an ever-changing assortment of murals across main, commercial, industrial and residential streets. One early work that stands as a reference point is Keith Haring's 1984 mural at the former Collingwood Technical School, which remains among the area's most recognised public pieces.

Early Public Works

The 1984 Haring mural established a visible presence for large-scale street painting in the neighbourhood. That installation preceded later additions that expanded the range of surfaces used, including walls on both industrial and residential blocks. The scene continued to incorporate new works without replacing the original pieces outright.

Larger-Scale Additions on Local Streets

At the corner of Wellington and Vere Streets stands the Adnate Collingwood Mural, a 20-storey portrait measuring 50 metres in height. The CitiPower Collingwood power substation at the corner of Easey and Wellington Streets functions as a concentrated site for multiple large monochromatic murals by artists including Guido Van Helton, Adnate, Rone, Mayonaize and Askew. On Easey Street at number 46, a 30-metre-wide and 11-metre-tall mural dedicated to Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat was completed in April 2020.

Continued Presence on Neighbourhood Walls

These locations illustrate how the local scene has incorporated both longstanding works and later commissions on the same streets. The 2020 Easey Street mural was created by ten artists for an exhibition project. The substation and the Adnate mural demonstrate the use of utility and housing structures as additional surfaces. Residents and visitors can view the works by walking the relevant blocks of Wellington, Vere and Easey Streets, where the pieces remain accessible at street level.