Bucket List Item #3: Get Lost in the Graffiti Laneways of Melbourne, Australia

Graffiti has such a negative connotation – unless, that is, you live in Melbourne where it is a widely accepted form of expression and one of the most popular and creative forms of art.

I spent almost a year living in Melbourne and one of my favorite activities was wandering through its graffiti laneways. Upon arriving, the graffiti art was merely a backdrop to the gorgeous city of artistic buildings and amazing culture that is Melbourne, so I didn’t give too much thought to them. It wasn’t until the end of my time in this beautiful city that I realized how precious this type of art is.

I was walking down one of the most notorious graffiti laneways, Hosier Lane. This street is across from the Atrium entrance of Federation Square (shown below) and has some of the city’s best street art. The last time I had been there was a few months prior. As I walked down the alley way, it was like it was the first time I had ever seen it – and then I realized that’s because essentially, it was the first time ever seeing it.

Most street art gets painted over eventually. As tragic and senseless as this concept of painting over & defacing art seemed at first, I began to realize that it was all part of this urban culture.  The city belonged to everybody, and so everybody was free to create what they want – usually painting over somebody else’s artwork in the process. This makes the street art of Melbourne that much more exquisite – that it is ever changing. You can essentially never walk down the same laneway twice because there is always different artwork to see. It makes the city a permanent [not-so-blank] canvas that artists can continue to create amazing things out of.

There are dozens of laneways to explore in Melbourne. My favorites are as followed:

Brunswick Street

Chapel Street

Melbourne CBD (Central Business District)

Get lost and find beauty.

Featured Writer: Kirsten Muolic