We can’t get enough street art in here in South Australia. Between the hidden gems you find down city laneways, the monster mural at Coonalpyn, viral Furbies, a 75-metre street art tunnel and a street art festival, we’d say we’re completely mad for it. Add that to our love of comedy, and this next piece of news is going to get you excited.
Internationally renowned street artist Makatron (Mike Maka) returned to Adelaide for just a few days to whip up a new piece for the reborn Rhino Room. Maka originally did the mural for their Frome Street venue about 10-15 years ago. This seems like the most fitting housewarming gift to help Rhino Room settle into their new home on Hyde Street. Mick from the Rhino Room asked Maka to create a mural that was fun and had a grungy edge to reflect how some patrons feel after a big night there.
Original Rhino Room mural on Frome Street
Maka is a painter who works in a variety of media mainly on walls, canvas and illustration on paper. He has travelled and created work around the world, painting the Berlin Wall to the River Ganges. At 20, he received a scholarship to study art in New York, which lead to working as a bike messenger for 10 years in 10 cities, and leaving his mark on many walls. Mike has exhibited extensively through Australia as well as group shows in Brazil, Japan, Miami and New York, and has works in private and public collections locally and abroad, including acquisitions by the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra.
His work is preoccupied with the interface between man, beast and machine. Presenting a visual riot that stimulates the mind, Mike’s art conveys an imperative message to those confined in the concrete jungle to stay connected to the animal within them that lives in the natural world. After this, Maka is off to do a large mural at Melbourne Zoo, then off to Arnhem Land in the NT for another project before heading to Oregon for the Eclipse Festival where he will be painting the sails of a large pirate ship.
Want to check the final piece out? Head to Hyde Street, Adelaide (just off Pirie Street).
As for the new Rhino Room, after meeting its crowdfunding goals, it’s well underway and should be ready for fans to enjoy from this month. After moving from its long-term home on Frome, the new venue on Pirie/Hyde Street will feature a new performance space, new staging, design, curtains, a sound system, lighting, green room, air-conditioning and painting. All the things associated with building a new room for the next generation of South Australian comedians, musicians and visual artists. A fresh, functional Rhino Room with the vibe of the old one!
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