The Best Street Art in Dunedin, New Zealand

Polish artist Bezt (one half of Etam Cru) was invited to contribute to the Dunedin street art scene in 2015. His piece, titled ‘When the Hunter Becomes the Hunted’, took a couple of days to complete and depicts a woman who has been struck by two arrows. Bezt’s work is known for its dark, surreal undertones, and this is reflected in this large-scale creation.

In ‘Song Bird Pipe Organ’, UK-based artist Phlegm brings his signature characters, which are renowned for their eccentricity, and combined it with a pipe organ that releases an assortment of colourful, New Zealand native birds as the instrument is played.

‘Annabel’ was Dunedin artist Jon Thom’s first attempt at transferring his monochromatic portraiture onto a mural canvas. The smiling woman was inspired by a real person too: Annabel is the partner of Thom’s friend and business associate Chris Brun.

The Dunedin Street Art Trail features five of Phlegm’s works (one of which was a collaboration with Italian artist Pixel Pancho). This one in particular weaves in a bit of local history, alluding to the sighting of a Japanese submarine in the Otago Harbour. The steampunk-like vessel is accompanied by Maori waka (canoes) as it is engulfed by a gigantic fish.

Australian graffiti artist Fintan Magee is famous for pushing boundaries in his chosen medium: many of his murals, in Australia, South America and Europe, have been painted on buildings more than three storeys high. ‘Chasing the Thin White Cloud’, is his largest work to date and features two boys on one side and a young girl just behind them.

Prolific Dunedin artist Sean Duffel has made his mark both in his home turf and overseas with his brightly-coloured artworks. His distinctively idiosyncratic style is inspired by New Zealand’s flora and fauna. You’ll find a small selection of these pieces dotted around the city.