Brisbane's bid to celebrate home-grown artists ahead of Olympics - ABC News & Headlines – Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Brisbane-born street artist Jarad Danby has finished his first mural in his hometown after success overseas. (ABC News: Mark Leonardi)

Jarad Danby has transformed public spaces across the world with his art, and now, for the first time, he has a mural in his home city of Brisbane.

His work inside a 200-metre tunnel in the inner-city suburb of Newstead is part of a push to celebrate home-grown talent ahead of the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

A tunnel in Newstead has been transformed with a brightly coloured mural by Brisbane artist Jarad Danby. (ABC News: Mark Leonardi)

"When the world comes to Brisbane, it's important that we tell real Brisbane stories, and who is better to do that than our own artists?" street art curator Matthew Tervo said.

"They can give you an artwork that gives you a sense of that place, so when people come to Brisbane they leave with a sense of who we really are."

Street art curator Matthew Tervo and Brisbane artist Jarad Danby. (ABC News: Mark Leonardi)

In a bid to reflect the area's history in his artwork, Danby visited the local museum and selected and photographed items to incorporate into his work.

He then created a scribble grid on the wall, which gave him a reference point to be able to transfer an image he composed on his computer onto the wall at the correct scale.

"I wanted to represent the future of Brisbane and how abundant it is going to be in the lead-up to the Olympics," he said.

Artist Jarad Danby and his team carefully laid out the items on the table and photographed them before uploading the images to a computer. (ABC News: Mark Leonardi)

His mural features fresh fruit, and he has taken inspiration from the surrounds with a process behind each element.

"This is my first public piece in Brisbane, so that was really special, and I was able to bring my mum and dad here, and they were jubilant," he said.

A tunnel at Newstead has been transformed nto a work of art, inspired by locally sourced produce and objects from the past. (ABC News: Mark Leonardi)

The mural has been funded by the Brisbane City Council, with plans to do more in the next six years ahead of the Games.

"As all eyes are on Brisbane for 2032 it's important to have projects like this that showcase who we are as a city," Brisbane Councillor Julia Dixon said.

Brisbane City Council has been contacted for comment.

Jarad Danby says he wanted to incorporate the greenery in the surrounding area into his artwork. (ABC News: Mark Leonardi)

While street art is created for the public, it's also helping to offset the cost of vandalism.

It is proving to work at an underpass in Toowong, where the council was having to fork out to cover up graffiti and maintain the beige walls before it became a mural.

An underpass in Toowong has turned from beige to a piece of art, and it has proved effective in reducing graffiti.  (ABC News: Mark Leonardi)

"The budget per square metre wasn't a lot, so we innovated and used recycled paint to achieve the outcome," Mr Tervo said.

"The metric we were given for success is if we halved the amount of spend removing vandalism, then it would be considered successful.

"So far, there's only been one instance of vandalism in six months.

"It is just proof that we are the problem as well as the solution."

Matthew Tervo says Brisbane should be on the map as a world-class street art city. (ABC News: Mark Leonardi)

Mr Tervo said the focus should be on creating uniquely Brisbane street art as opposed to becoming "Melbourne lite".

"It's awesome for street artists but also the public because it creates a link between nature and buildings … it adds so much culture and life to a city," Danby said.

"Brisbane should be on the map as a world-class street art city because we have some of the best artists and so many blank walls as well."

Jarad Danby says he wanted to represent the future of Brisbane in his artwork. (ABC News: Mark Leonardi)