‘It’s the most Australian thing you can get’: Artist is fined $200 for painting a mural on a public wall using VEGEMITE
- A man has used iconic Australian spread to create mural at a train station
- Public Transport officers were notified of graffiti at Freemantle Station on Friday
- The Western Australian station had image of bridge painted on external wall
- Artist who used Vegemite for the mural, received a caution and $200 fine
A man has used an iconic Australian spread to create unusual artwork at a train station.
Vegemite was used to paint a mural – showing a bridge – at Fremantle Train Station in Western Australia.
The accused artist will be fined $200 for the bizarre crime and property damage.
A report of graffiti was received by WA’s Public Transport Authority at around 6.30pm on Friday.
Officers investigated the scene and found an external wall of the station had a large image of a bridge painted in Vegemite.
An image of the unique Vegemite mural was shared to Facebook (pictured)
A spokeswoman from the Public Transport Authority (PTA) said the artist was initially ‘arced up’ when approached by officers and became ‘quite abusive.’
When the man calmed down, he received a caution and notification that his fine would be mailed to him.
‘It’s a darn shame he didn’t go about it in the right way because it’s not so bad,’ the spokeswoman said.
‘Whether you think this is art or not, it’s government property – you need permission to do this sort of thing.’
A Freemantle witness, James Wagner, shared an image of the Vegemite mural on Facebook after he saw the altercation with the man and officers, Perth Now reported.
Wagner said he heard lost of shouting as the artist screamed: ‘it’s only f***ing Vegemite.’
Wagner interpreted the mural to be a depiction of Freemantle harbour with a ship under the bridge.
‘I’ve never seen anyone use vegemite to draw with before,’ he said.
‘That’s why I put it on Facebook – it’s like the most Australian thing you can get.’
The PTA spokesperson said the artwork would be removed.
It’s not known how the man smeared the Vegemite on the wall.
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