The street artist responsible for a mural that was damaged in a vandalism attack is set to return to Lismore to create a new work.
Guido van Helten, a former student from Southern Cross University, has been invited back to take part in the Eat the Street promotion, which takes place on Saturday, 12 March.
A mural of a girl previously painted by van Helten was damaged last year when an unknown person threw buckets of paint on it.
Back Alley Gallery project manager Erin Lewis said she was overwhelmed by the community response to the damage and invited Guido back to create a new work.
Guido van Helten has taken part in art projects right across the globe and his work can be found in the streets of major cities from Australia to the United Kingdom, Iceland, Italy and the Ukraine.
‘His work has come a long way since he did the girl. Like all artists his style has evolved and changed,’ she said.
‘We have no idea what he’s going to do – we are leaving it entirely up to him to decide.”
Ms Lewis said while the girl had been a stand-out feature of the Back Alley Gallery since it began in 2011, the very nature of the space is that it should evolve.
‘Guido is such a high-calibre artist and I think people will really appreciate something new.
‘It is the nature of street art and we want to be true to that – it will always be transient and pieces that people love will always be temporary.
‘Guido works in a really unique way; he doesn’t exclusively use spray paint, he uses house paint and all sorts of different techniques.
‘He’s very interesting to watch and we felt that Eat the Street was a perfect time for him to create something new as the CBD is flooded with visitors.”
The new work is being funded by Lismore City Council’s Public Art Maintenance Budget.
The Eat the Street food festival is on Saturday, 12 March from 12pm to 8pm in Magellan Street, Lismore. Guido van Helten will be doing his artwork throughout the duration of the festival.
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