By Benjamin Millar
Maribyrnong council has sparked another street art censorship controversy, this time involving an image of Donald Trump.
BiGfiSh design and fabrication studio in Footscray recently commissioned Yarraville artist Van T Rudd to create the mural after studio head Alfons van Maanen was impressed by a smaller version of the work.
The mural depicted protestors throwing rocks at an army tank topped by the face of US president Donald Trump, drawing on iconic images of Palestinian youth throwing rocks at approaching Israeli army tanks.
Mr van Maanen received a call from the council insisting the mural had to go.
“I have always been a fan of Van’s art, which is political and out-there,” Mr van Maanen said. “So I commissioned Van to do the mural, but our landlord is council, and I got a phone call from council saying they were concerned about it and it needs to be removed.”
Mr van Maanen said he could appreciate the council’s position, but didn’t want it to obliterate the work entirely, so a white square was painted over Mr Trump’s face.
Rudd said it’s not the first time his work had been targeted by the council, a situation he hadn’t faced anywhere else in Melbourne.
In May, Maribyrnong council censored another of Rudd’s artworks, a mural depicting a bulldog wearing a Western Bulldogs football guernsey urinating on One Nation Senator Pauline Hanson. Council staff painted over Senator Hanson’s face.
Earlier this year, the council painted over another political mural that a property owner had asked Rudd to paint on their fence facing on to Cruickshank Park in Yarraville. It featured Trump and Hillary Clinton.
Other street artists have also experienced censorship by the council. Last year, the council threatened to fine and prosecute a business in West Footscray after street artist Lushsux painted a mural of then-US presidential nominee Hillary Clinton in a skimpy swimsuit.
In 2015, the council painted over a “No Paid Parking in Yarraville” message in a mural by Yarraville street artist Heesco.
Maribyrnong planning services director Nigel Higgins said Rudd’s Trump mural contravened the Graffiti Prevention Act 2007.
“The request to alter or remove the mural was due to it being offensive and not because of the political statement expressed,” he said.
The act specifically allows graffiti that is “reasonable political comment”.
The council did not clarify why the mural was considered offensive or who decides what constitutes offensive graffiti.
