Guido van Helten

Guido van Helten is an Australian born visual artist and photographer (1986). He is an internationally recognized artist creating contemporary street art throughout the world which is underpinned by his exploration of community and identity generated through photography and large-scale mural installations., Born in Canberra and growing up in inner city Melbourne, Australia, the artist was influenced at a young age by traditional graffiti movements leading to an early introduction of aerosol art. After graduating with a Bachelor of Visual Arts majoring in Printmaking at Southern Cross University, Guido began the development of his contemporary work now closely aligned with the movement of large-scale muralism across the world., His work has developed out of his keen interests in travel, photography, architecture and learning about cultures in connection with their landscapes. Receiving attention for his work in regional communities around Australia, Guido was nominated for the Sir John Sulman prize at the Art Gallery of NSW in 2016 for his work in the community of Brim, Victoria. These interests and his ability to work on large-scale projects have spurred commissions across the world throughout Europe, Scandanavia, the United States and Australia., Artist Statement , Since 2013, my practice has evolved into an exploration of identity in connection with our urban environment or a sort of architectural sociology. Through this, I approach mural projects using photography and community engagement to uncover the human stories and site-specific nature and connections to place., My work explores this relationship through images taken and it is designed to align with the architectural sites., The Faulkton Elevator Mural , After being asked by a fellow Australian who lives in Faulkton to come look at a potential project, Guido van Helten visited Faulkton in November of 2016 and viewed the site. In 2017 he came and lived in the community for a month taking many photos and joining community activities. Upon his return in July of 2018 he began to prep the elevator with the assistance of many town folk. He began painting in late July and it was completed on the 1st of September, 2018. The art is of a boy and girl who are throwing or catching hats. Many interpretations can be made of this, but popular belief is it represents the youthfulness of the Faulkton community, as well as the many types of "hats" a towns person must wear to make a small community work.