Street cred for Docklands

By Jack Hayes

Adding to an already extensive collection of public art, the Docklands area is now the proud owner of a piece by internationally-renowned street artist, Rone.

Famous for his sumptuous paintings of glamorous women, in particular an often-recurring image of his so-called Jane Doe, Rone has quickly become one of Melbourne’s most influential and featured street artists.

The piece of artwork Edge of your Seat was commissioned by Capital Alliance to grace the walls of its residential tower and 5-star hotel project M Docklands.
Rone admitted unequivocally, this new project ventures far beyond realms of his comfort zone.

Situated at the LaTrobe Street entry to Etihad Stadium, Rone’s huge mural draws on the angst and elation of AFL supporters, with both a historical and personal twist.

“It’s about that moment of anticipation, when it can go either way. Changing of identity. When the team wins you win, but when the team lose you lose. You no longer have your own identity and switches to something else,” he said.

The artwork presents a unique adaptation from classic AFL club logos of Geelong and Carlton, along with the iconic figures of the Brownlow Medal and AFL Premiership Cup.

“A lot of the stuff in the background is personal to me and is familiar to a lot of other people. I’ve seen a lot of people come past and stand here reading it confused and not quite sure what it is about. I find it cool that they recognise things but then are, like, wait that’s not right. “

Unlike his fleeting interest in AFL (the last match he saw was in 1992) and most of his other bodies of work, this piece may stand the test of time.

“I’ve never done a wall that has had to last longer than a couple of months. I personally quite like the idea that my work is ephemeral, so this is a new challenge for me. This one might be here for 25 years. I had to take into consideration the paint and the way it’s going to look in 25 years,” he said.

The artwork will be officially launched this month and M Docklands is expected to open in February next year.