Top Kiwi street artist returns to Chch wall
One of New Zealand’s best street artists is painting over one of his own artworks in central Christchurch.
Street artist Damin Radford Scott, who paints under the name Dside, said it was hard to paint over what he felt was one of his best artworks. The new mural is being created as part of the Street Prints Otautahi festival, which has commissioned 10 new artworks in central Christchurch, Lyttelton and New Brighton by artists from New Zealand, Australia, Spain, Canada and Britain.
Dside helped create a large painting of melting penguins on the side of the Public Trust building on Oxford Tce near Worcester Blvd in central Christchurch in 2014. The painting was created by Dside and Andrew J. Steel when they were part of the street art collective BMD, which disbanded in October 2015.
Dside said he agreed to repaint the wall only because the penguins had already been painted over with a beige undercoat.
‘‘I am very strict on not painting over any BMD walls,’’ he said.
‘‘They are a historic thing now and there will never be anymore. The fact that it was already gone is why I did it. I don’t want it to look like I have painted over that wall.
‘‘It was a very hard one for me. That wall was probably one of the best things we have ever done, so it is very sad that it has gone.’’
He was happy the original painting had lasted nearly four years when it was only supposed to be up for about three months.
He said the new artwork was inspired by Christchurch’s cycling scene and would feature various animals riding bicycles.
Dside said the Christchurch street art scene was one of the best in the world.
‘‘The city really deserves it, but is very lucky to have so many amazing people that have painted here,’’ he said.
Street Prints Otautahi festival organiser Josie Ogden Schroeder, of the Christchurch YMCA, said the owner of the Public Trust building removed the mural because he ‘‘doesn’t like penguins’’.
‘‘The owner wanted a new mural because he didn’t like the penguins,’’ she said.
‘‘He liked the artist, but he didn’t like the penguins. It is such a high profile wall that it was a great opportunity to get another big wall artwork.’’
Box 112 director Sam Rofe, who is restoring the building, said the new artwork would be only temporary as the wall was due for demolition as part of the restoration of the historic building.
‘‘They are a historic thing now and there will never be anymore. The fact that it was already gone is why I did it. I don’t want it to look like I have painted over that wall.’’
Street artist Damin Radford Scott