Images: Alex VanDeLoo
Adelaide is about to get an exciting new piece of public art, with Greek mural artist Skitsofrenis creating his first-ever Australian mural in an Adelaide-exclusive collaboration with EQUALS.
Travelling from Kalamata, Greece, the contemporary artist has spent the past few weeks bringing his work to life at 95 Currie Street, creating a series of large-scale murals exploring humanity, identity, diversity and connection.
And while this is his first Australian project, Skitsofrenis says the journey to Adelaide began almost by accident. Back in May, the artist met EQUALS founder Katina Jones and her husband Jeffrey while they were visiting his hometown of Kalamata in southwest Peloponnese.
The pair were already familiar with his work, which spans Greece and parts of Europe, and after talking about their shared values, the idea of bringing his art to Adelaide was born.
“I said, “You know, we fight, we create for the same causes, you know, for the same purposes. I hope one day to paint the walls of those foundations,'” shared Skitsofrenis.
Katina invited him to Adelaide, and the artist decided it was time to step outside his comfort zone.
“I said, ‘It’s now or never.’ It’s time for me to go out of my comfort zone and explore the world like never before.”
Since arriving in Adelaide, Skitsofrenis has created three large murals and a smaller work, with the project evolving as he spent time getting to know the city and the EQUALS community.
“When I came here, I took a few days just to walk the streets of Adelaide, to experience inside the rooms of EQUALS, to see and have a chat, to live with the students and teachers and the people that run EQUALS.”
That experience inspired him to incorporate portraits of EQUALS students into the artwork, adding an even more personal element to the project.
“I’ve decided to add some portraits of the students on the wall,” he said. “It has been a great experience, because the people here, they seem to hug everything that I do.
“Already, I have dozens every day passing from the road and giving me their wishes and expressing their admiration and support,” he said.
For the artist, however, his Adelaide experience has extended well beyond the walls he’s been painting. A keen runner and cyclist, Skitsofrenis said Adelaide had been on his radar for years.
After quitting smoking around a decade ago, he adopted a healthier lifestyle and began running and cycling, eventually discovering a number of South Australian influencers online who inspired him.
“I was daydreaming of running and cycling Adelaide from 2016,” he said.
And there’s one Adelaide spot that has particularly impressed him. Having competed in countless half-marathons, Skitsofrenis said the Torrens River has become his favourite place to run.
“Along the Torrens River is the best place that I’ve ever run in my life up until now.”
The project marks the first time Skitsofrenis has brought his large-scale public art to Australia, making the Adelaide mural both an Australian-first and an Adelaide-exclusive.
Once complete, the artwork will become a permanent addition to Adelaide’s public art landscape, and a colourful reminder of what can happen when international creativity meets a local community.
Skitsofrenis’ Australian-first mural will be located at 95 Currie Street, Adelaide CBD.
