Damn Vandal brings wall to life
Oakley, a well-known graffiti artist, was recently commissioned by El Toro, to spray paint a wall.
IT’S a mild sunny afternoon in Durban North and Shaun Oakley (Damn Vandal) meticulously spray paints the finishing touches on a Mexican Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) themed wall on Mackeurtan Avenue. The vibrant colours and jaw-dropping mural has transformed the mundane brick and concrete wall into a story board.
Oakley, a well-known graffiti artist, was recently commissioned by El Toro, to spray paint a wall shared by the restaurant and a doctor on the corner of Mackeurtan Avenue and Adelaide Thambo Drive (Northway).
“This was such an awesome project, it took a few hours and I had good direction as to what was needed from Reed, the owner of the restaurant. The day of the dead skulls and the Mexican colours were strong and bold and I also infused that with my style to make it stand out.
“Murals change the feelings about where you are. They allow people to dream and to take them to a different space and I think in a way this has done that. I’ve had such great feedback from patrons and residents in the area, I wasn’t sure what to expect initially. Now people are using the space to take photos which is awesome,” he said.
Oakley said the walls of cities worldwide were becoming canvases for creative expression and were for many tourist attractions on their own. He said while Durban central had a number of pieces, he was hoping for other areas north of the city to follow suit.
“A lot of murals and work can be found in Durban but I’m hoping to do more projects in uMhlanga and Ballito. I’m sure there are some amazing spaces out there. I think some people within the tourism sector recognise how street art livens up a space. So many people come to destinations around the world specifically looking for street art pieces and murals,” he said.
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