Is he falling or flying?
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That’s up to your interpretation.
If you’ve happened to walk down Laity Lane in recent days you may have noticed an office worker looming large.
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Over the past week, the painting has grown to fill a previously plain wall.
The piece is the latest of a body of work by Melbourne street-artist Baby Guerrilla.
All over Australia, she has set out to liberate art from the gallery, and bring it to the streets.
From Townsville, to Footscray, the human figures in her work sit ambiguously. Floating on city walls, they could be flying or falling, depending on the observer’s perspective.
The beauty of this, is that it allows viewers to make their own meaning, says Baby Guerrilla.
“I just like to leave things open to interpretation,” she said.
“It’s kind of one in a series of a body of works. I’ve got some similar themes over my work, freedom, escape and things like that, continuing themes.”
The work has been painstaking, but Baby Guerrilla said she was happy with the progress so far. Most of the body is complete, she says, with just the legs to finish.
The work was jointly commissioned by the Bendigo and Adelaide Bank and the City of Greater Bendigo. It joins existing public art in the lane, a mural by Richmond design team Daisylegs.
Street-art is challenging work, but realising a vision is well worth the labour involved, Baby Guerrilla says.
“It’s very rewarding, when the dream comes out the way that you’ve dreamt it, seeing something come to fruition,” she said.
It’s not just the personal satisfaction which drives her work, however. For Baby Guerrilla, public art is a vital part of any streetscape.
“A world without art would be pretty bleak,” she said. “Art can transform our perspective and inspire us. I think we need art.”