Renowned Hobart street artist commissioned by MyState to create outdoor art gallery

Hobart, 15 November 2012: It’s not every day that a financial institution commissions a street artist to spray paint the side of a heritage-listed building.

Over the weekend, Hobart street artist Jamin unveiled his most recent work, a series of captivating pieces forming an outdoor gallery on the corner of Campbell and Collins Streets. The work provided a vibrant backdrop to Tasmania’s inaugural ‘We Built This City’ event, a free kids’ activity presented by MyState and the Theatre Royal.

Jamin’s work is located on the wall of Hedberg Garage, a heritage-listed building that had long been the target of tag graffitists. As part of the preparation for ’We Built This City’, MyState cleaned up the building, gave it a fresh coat of paint and commissioned Jamin to create something special that the whole community could enjoy. Jamin was astonished to be given full creative licence, and said “to be honest I was surprised but also pleased to be offered this opportunity by MyState. It’s not every day that a financial institution gives you the chance to create something special in such a prominent, public place. I’ve been keeping an eye on this space for a while now, thinking it would be a perfect canvas for my work.”

Stephen Pender, My State’s Head of Brands, Communications and Products, said “we wanted to create a great space for ‘We Built This City’ and saw the opportunity to leave a gift to the community [that would last] longer than the event of 10-11 November. We wanted to create a piece that not only showcased a local artist but also added to the cultural capital of Hobart. Hobart is fast becoming more of a cultural hotspot and MyState are proud to be supporting and facilitating this change.”

Magdalena Lane, Director of AbaF Tasmania, provided her support for the project saying “MyState has dared to think outside the square of traditional partnerships, and the result is a three-way win for this heritage site, the community and the arts. It shows how investing in the arts can benefit a whole community.”

Jamin explains that “the mural is composed of the creatures that live side by side with humans in the city, that we have brought with us from across the seas and across time; domestic pets, mice, pigeons etc. The scale of the work is deliberately enormous, creating a point of visual interest from a distance as well as nearby”. Jamin spent the day at ‘We Built This City’ with his children, and said “the event was a world of fun, [and] the artwork was a great backdrop.I’m happy my work will be a lasting memory of the event as well.”