ARTIST GIVES SERVO A SPRAY ALL IN THE NAME OF FREEDOM
EVERY TIME you go past this petrol station, Alex Lehours hopes you spot something new.
The Sydney-based graphic designer-turned-artist teamed up with local street artist John Kaye to decorate 45 metres of boring walls at what is now the Coast’s funkiest service station.
It’s called Bundall 88 and Mr Lehours said he had used about 12 litres of acrylic house paint and aerosols to cover the walls, which depict Japanese pop culture, old statues and hidden symbols of good luck such as clovers and the number 88.
The experienced artist said he had been working in the industry for six years and was commissioned through 440 Creative to head up from Sydney for this project.
“The client was pretty open,” Mr Lehours said of the Bundall Rd project.
“The only one small requirement was the use of the lucky number 88, so I tried to do it in a bit more of a subtle way.”
He said people didn’t expect to see the unique wall at a service station and that it opened up street art to an entirely different audience. “It’s a cool spot,” he said. “It took about a week (to paint).”
Developer Romolo Bos bought the Bundall Road site in 2014, which was once home to Shogun Japanese Restaurant.
“We were keen to breathe fresh life into the traditional service station concept by way of architecture and link the art space with the developing Bundall cultural precinct,” Mr Bos said.
Architect Bayden Goddard said graffiti-inspired art was becoming more and more popular.
The Freedom Fuel petrol station opened this month complete with a 24-hour drive-through Crema Expresso cafe.
A medical centre, including a Chempro Chemist, will open in May.