Stop 2: Glen Iris

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There is the false assumption that all ‘good’ and ‘cool’ street art can only be found in and around places like Hosier Lane and Fitzroy. This means that most of us miss seeing varied artwork in the most commonplace areas. While trains stations and trains are associated with street art culture, many of us miss out the kaleidoscope of artwork that can be seen on our way in and out of the city. Trains are a great way to see a tonne of artwork without making a special trip anywhere or even getting off the train!

The next stop on this tour is Glen Iris station. The most dominant street art form along this line (at least until you reach the inner city suburbs like Richmond) is tagging. Most tags are eccentric and eye catching. As you travel into the station, there are a few warehouses with corrugated steel, which are plastered with tags. These spaces are easy to access and provide street artists with large free spaces. Whilst tagging is often associated with teenagers and squiggly lines, most of the tags that plaster the fences and walls along the train line are intricate and dramatic.

One striking piece that can be seen from the Glen Iris platform is an image of a spray can with the word ‘VENT’ coming out from the nozzle. The word vent could be the name of the artist or could allude to street art as a form of expression and as an outlet to validate one views, fears and opinions.