A 2024 study scored Sydney in the top 10 best street art cities in the world. Go beyond the galleries to see how artists are colouring the city’s streets with meaningful murals, graffiti and sculptures.
Jul 2024 -
5
min readBondi Beach Graffiti Wall, Bondi
This sea wall fronting Sydney’s famous Bondi Beach has an ever-changing facade as local artists are commissioned by the council to paint striking mural panels for six-month stints. Community is at the heart of each artwork – from the permanent mural of The Girl with a Frangipani in Her Hair (dedicated to local girl, Chloe Byron, who lost her life in the 2002 Bali bombing) to a fierce portrait of the Matildas during their phenomenal Women’s World Cup achievements.
Forgotten Songs, Angel Place, Sydney CBD
Follow the soft twitter of bird song to this sculptural ode to nature, hidden down a laneway off George Street in the CBD, where 50 bird cages hang above you, representing the 50 native bird species whose habitat was once Sydney’s city streets. Artist Michael Thomas Hill collaborated with scientists and audio specialists to record accompanying bird songs, which switch from daytime calls from rockwarblers and superb lyrebrids to nocturnal hoots from powerful owls.
Forgotten Songs by artist Michael Thomas Hill at Angel Place - Credit: Eloise Basuki
Bin chickens, Chippendale
Known for his cheeky depictions of politicians and celebrities, local street artist Scott Marsh is a prolific name on Sydney’s streets. Blink and you’ll miss some of his more controversial murals, but a long-standing favourite in Chippendale puts one of Australia’s most majestic icons on show: the ibis. Affectionally known as ‘bin chickens’ (for their love of standing in bins and fossicking for a snack), this mural is an accurate depiction of a totally local sighting. Art lovers should head around the corner to White Rabbit Gallery to see more ‘official’ art on show – home to a rotating exhibition featuring some of China’s best modern artists.
Bin chickens street art by artist Scottie Marsh in Chippendale - Credit: Eloise Basuki
In Between Two Worlds, Kimber Lane, Haymarket
Acting like a portal to another world, this heavenly scene down a tiny laneway in Chinatown is best viewed at night, when artist Jason Wing’s suspended spirit figures and painted cloud-like swirls on the walls and ground are illuminated with a cerulean glow. The Sydney-based artist has both Chinese and Aboriginal heritage, and the installation represents his bi-cultural upbringing with spirit and elemental motifs from each culture.
In Between Two Worlds art installation in Kimber Lane, Chinatown
Secret World of a Starlight Ember, Circular Quay
On what has got to be one of the most picturesque promenades in the world, Circular Quay has its own public street art: Byron-based artist Lindy Lee’s shimmering stainless steel sculpture at the entrance to the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA). The egg-shaped piece represents life and stars as finite things. Visit during the day to see it frame the Sydney Opera House in a unique way, or at night to see the sculpture lit from within, sparkling like a star. Head inside the MCA for more of Lee’s work in the gallery’s collection, plus rotating exhibitions by the world’s best modern artists.
Secret World of a Starlight Ember by artist Lindy Lee outside the MCA, Circular Quay
I Have a Dream, King Street, Newtown
After being refused permission twice to paint this mural, artists Andrew Aitken and Julie Prior decided to do it anyway. The 1991 Newtown artwork is now heritage listed, depicting Martin Luther King Jr, the Aboriginal flag and the earth, speaking to civil rights and environmental activism. Newtown, with its bohemian vibe and creative locals, is home to lots of street art – head around the corner to Lennox Street to see more public murals, or venture down the alleyways off Enmore Road to find some of Sydney’s quirkiest. Local Sauce Tours’ Newtown Chewtown - Food & Street Art Tour is a delicious way to take in the art of the area with a guide.
I Have a Dream mural by artists Andrew Aitken and Julie Prior on King Street, Newtown
40,000 Years and Welcome to Redfern murals, Redfern
Redfern has a long history of Aboriginal heritage, culture and activism, and this iconic mural, which runs along both sides of the Lawson Street bridge over Redfern Station is an important landmark for the local Aboriginal community. Led by mural artist Carol Ruff in collaboration with the Redfern community, it was painted in 1983 by a group of artists, including Indigenous artists Tracey Moffat and Avril Quaill. The mural includes scenes from Aboriginal life and culture, past and present, and acknowledges Redfern’s Aboriginal cultural heritage, collective community spirit, resilience and pride.
Just around the corner, down Caroline Street, you’ll find another important piece of Aboriginal public art by Kamilaroi street artist Reko Rennie – the Welcome to Redfern mural completely covering an old Victorian-era terrace house at The Block. On the other side of the tracks, on Redfern Street, stop by Cafe Dreaming, a First Nations-owned coffee shop.
40,000 Years mural near Redfern Station - Credit: Eloise Basuki
Still Life with Stone and Car, Walsh Bay
No, it’s not a freak accident. American artist Jimmi Durham created this startling sculpture for the 2004 Sydney Biennale – symbolising monuments and monumentality – before it was moved permanently to this roundabout in Walsh Bay. The area is a sanctuary itself for the arts – head to Pier 4/5 to find the Sydney Dance Company and the Sydney Theatre Company for a schedule of arresting performances.
Still Life with Stone and Car by artist Jimmi Durham in Walsh Bay - Credit: James Horan | DNSW
Interloop, Wynyard Station, CBD
In this playful piece symbolising continual motion and connected journeys, artist Chris Fox has reconfigured the station’s original wooden escalators to be suspended in a swirl over the new escalators at Wynyard's York Street Exit. The artwork incorporates 244 wooden treads and four combs from the station's old escalators, weighs more than five tonnes and contains over a kilometre of welding. At night you can wander the nearby YCK Laneways to find hidden bars and restaurants, with plenty of live music to boot.
Interloop by artist Chris Fox at Wynyard Station - Credit: Eloise Basuki
The Distance of Your Heart, Sydney CBD
Go on a treasure hunt across the city’s northern end – artist Tracey Emin has placed more than 60 delicate handmade bronze bird sculptures along Bridge, Grosvenor and Kent Streets, perching on poles, above doorways, on awnings and statues. For Emin, the birds represent loneliness, and the artwork is centred around the words ‘The distance of your heart’ inscribed on a large stone bird bath in Macquarie Place Park – a great selfie opportunity to send to loved ones far away. From here you’re just a short walk from the Art Gallery of NSW, home to plenty more modern and traditional art to explore.
The Distance of Your Heart by artist Tracey Emin, Sydney City - Credit: Katherine Griffiths | City of Sydney
Liverpool Street Art Trail, Liverpool
Western Sydney has its own fair share of creative spirit, some of which you can see on a self-guided tour of Liverpool’s street art. Hidden down laneways and in car parks, these spectacular works are by a range of artists, with murals in honour of Kobe Bryant and Prince, as well as local faces. A five-minute drive from Liverpool will take you to the new Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre – a Western Sydney hub for modern, Aboriginal and local art, as well as creative workshops for kids.
May Lane, St Peters
An outdoor gallery of sorts in Sydney’s inner west suburb of St Peters, May Lane is a street art and graffiti hub, with the artworks changing as new artists come and go. Founded in 2005 by graphic arts expert Tugi Balog who has a warehouse space in May Lane, the street has featured international artists such as Chor Boogie (USA), Peque (Mexico) and Taring Padi Collective (Indonesia), as well as Australian street artists.
Street art and graffiti at May Lane, St Peters - Credit: Eloise Basuki
Walk The Walls trail, Cronulla
The beaches may draw most visitors to the south Sydney suburb of Cronulla, but its walls can offer plenty of beauty too. Follow this creative trail commissioned by the Sutherland Shire council, which features more than 40 pops of colour across the area – from supermarket parking lots to gym walls and corner blocks. Some of Australia’s best street artists feature, including Shire-based artist Mulga, graffiti artist Phibs and Elliott Routledge.
Walk the Walls trail in Cronulla - Credit: Sutherland Shire Council
