culture
Local Artist Justin Enrico Legaspi Completes First Major Public Mural
The Retro Future Feline artwork on Sharp Street gives a local painter his first major public project through a youth-focused mentorship.
How we reported this
A mural titled Retro Future Feline now covers the side of the building at 2 Sharp Street that faces Baggot Drive in Hoppers Crossing. The piece was completed by Melbourne-based artist Mike Maka with assistance from painter Tayla Broekman and emerging Hoppers Crossing talent Justin Enrico Legaspi.
The project came about after Wyndham City Council invited expressions of interest earlier this year for an artwork that would involve young residents. It forms part of the municipality’s Public Art Plan 2022-32 and sits near the Hoppers Crossing youth services precinct, where another mural called Moments of Bloom already exists.
Youth workshops shaped the design
Two sessions run by Maka with the Paradox Amplify Crew, a program for people aged 12 to 25 who organise music and cultural events, supplied the ideas. Participants discussed futurism and retrofuturism, leading to images that include local references such as the Werribee Yulluk river, Werribee Blue Box trees, the local Tigers football club and the dog-and-bird statue on Watton Street. Rubber ducks appear as a nod to recent crew events, while a central cat figure represents personal journeys through an imagined future that stresses sustainability and renewable energy.
Legaspi took part in introductory public-art sessions, visited studios and helped with on-site painting. He learned wall-design transfer, large-scale roller and spray techniques, and the safety paperwork required before work begins. The experience also introduced him to curators and other muralists working in the area.
Next steps for local artists
Residents can now view the finished mural in person or follow the self-guided street-art tour that covers Werribee and nearby sites. The same youth-services teams that supported this project continue to run programs that pair emerging painters with established practitioners, giving Hoppers Crossing artists further opportunities to gain paid public commissions.
Details of the Retro Future Feline mural and the workshops that informed it appear in a 30 May 2026 report published by WyndhamTV at wyndhamtv.com.au/retro-future-feline-mural-brings-youth-vision-to-hoppers-crossing/.