In Australia a 200 kilometer “silo art trail” follows murals painted in farming country in Victoria state. This area has been heavily impacted by drought for the past two years. The work started in the farming community of Brim with a street artist from Brisbane, Guido van Helten painting a giant mural on an abandoned grain silo. The artist incorporated local people and their stories in the murals. Now other street artists are being commissioned to paint murals on silos in other towns. The intent is to create a tourist opportunity for viewing this large scale art, and providing a much needed influx of cash into these towns.
A previous post on Price Tags describes the creation and opening of the “Giants” on Granville Island, painted on the Ocean Cement silos for the Vancouver Biennale.
Daphne Bramham wrote about the fate of Vancouver’s “Giants” in the Vancouver Sun last month, noting that they desperately need some restorative paint.The Giants are painted by Brazilian twins Gustavo and Otavio Pandolfo (also known as Os Gemeos). The link above also has a time lapse video showing how the two brothers painted the silos.
As part of the Vancouver Biennale, the work is supposedly temporary unless there is an outpouring of public support and funding for the art to stay. They are a fabulous attraction on Granville Island, and iconic in their simplicity and artistic execution. I really hope they are able to stay.
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