A colossal new silo art mural greets the Grampians
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21.09.2020

A colossal new silo art mural greets the Grampians

WORDS BY TEHYA NICHOLAS

The face of this once-dusty silo has never looked so fresh.

In what is sure to be the crowning glory of St Arnaud, the giant silo mural titled ‘Hope’ is the latest addition to Victoria’s Silo Art Trail. Found in the old gold mining town in the Northern Grampians, it took local artist Kyle Torney roughly 800 hours to complete.

‘Hope’ is no little lady. Spanning across two silos, it aims to honour the town’s celebrated gold mining history. The design was chosen in collaboration with residents of the town, and with a lot of hard work is now the new starting point for the Silo Art Trail.

Torney was up and down the silo 30 to 40 times per day to perfect his masterpiece; a job that included cleaning, priming, and placing a huge grid for correction proportions all before the paint could be applied. It is well timed to fill the gap Rone’s famous Fyansford Silo Art left in the 200km trail, which was demolished earlier this year.

As for the design itself, it is derived from a concept Torney defines as “narrative portraiture” – using images of people to tell a story, which can be found in many of Torney’s other works around the country.

“I called the silo art ‘Hope’ which is reflective of the gold mining period but also resonates with the current climate. It’s great to be able to create something that will help to increase tourism to the region, St Arnaud is a great place to visit and like all of Victoria has been hit hard by COVID-19 restrictions,” Torney explains.

Get your road trip playlist ready, the silo art can be found on McMahon Street, St Arnaud – around 2.5 hours’ drive from Melbourne. Restrictions permitting, of course.