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Brim, VIC -

In 2016, van Helten brought new life to the small, rural town of Brim in country Victoria. It was even a finalist in the 2016 Sulman Prize.

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Guido van Helten -

Known for his large-scale and site-specific monochromatic pieces, Helten aims to incorporate the local community in his work, while keeping his subjects anonymous. 

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Life -

He brings these towns into the public eye, making them a tourist destination overnight, by painting huge murals that became a significant part of the landscape.

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Coonalpyn Silos, SA -

The silos in Coonalpyn, SA also got the van Helten treatment.

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Guido van Helten -

Starting out in graffiti, muralist van Helten found his bearings after graduating at Southern Cross University in Lismore.

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Design -

He graduated with a Bachelor of Visual Arts (now Art and Design) and majored in printmaking. He also studied graphic design.

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Redfern, NSW -

His work stems from a deep appreciation of architecture, cultural influence and historic imagery.

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Shoreditch, England -

France, Ukraine, Belarus, Estonia, Iceland, Norway, UK and Ireland all boast works of van Helten's as well as cities all over Australia.

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Investment -

"By investing love in something neglected, my work creates a sense of intimacy and pride in the community," said van Helten.

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Colour -

In order for his pieces to work, van Helten believes colour and composition are the most important aspects.

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Limerick, Ireland -

Although he mostly uses a monochromatic palette, matching the colour to the environment is paramount in order for the image to become a part of the wall and bring it to life.

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Rabkoraŭskaja, Belarus -

Placement is also a significant part of van Helten's method. Incorporating locals into his work, and representing the overall environment of the community is what truly brings his pieces to life.

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Hafnarstræti, Iceland -

The talented muralist not only delves into the culture of the city where he will creating artworks, but also getting to know the history and its people.

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Reykjavik, Iceland -

Although van Helten's photorealistic murals are based on local subjects, he prefers to keep their identity secret.

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Anonymous -

The 32-year-old muralist said it's not quite about the individual people specifically, but more about the place and the community.

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Connection -

"If you leave the anonymity to these people and people see whoever they want to see, they can have their own connection to the work," he said in a recent interview.

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Tall -

Some of his pieces reach heights of 30m, like on the Brim Silos Mural Project.

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Nashville, U.S. -

His attention to detail leads to a strong expression of emotion from each subject, that of the ordinary man, woman and child.

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Hämeenlinna, Finland -

He not only creates beautiful and photorealistic artworks, but he does it at immense feats. 

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Detail -

Each mural takes a considerable amount of time to complete due to his meticulous detailing.

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Oostende, Belgium -

Place, people and proportion are all things that are taken into consideration.

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Timing -

With a decent amount of research and concept building, van Helten's pieces can take days, even weeks to complete.

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Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant -

However, with his work in Chernobyl, Ukraine, van Helten had to complete his work in 5-6 hours due to the threat of radiation poisoning.

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Estonia -

One of his most impressive pieces was that of Brim Silos Mural Project in VIC, taking him a month to complete during 2016.

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Avdeevka, Ukraine -

Later the same year he headed to the front line of eastern Ukraine, where fighting between Russian forces and Ukrainian troops still took place daily.

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Faces -

He painted familiar faces that portrayed hope and everyday life on the walls of buildings that separated residents and gunfire.

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Spirit -

He said, "I only wanted to give the locals something that will take their thoughts away from the rough reality, if only for a few seconds."

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Glasgow, Scotland -

In 2013, van Helten was commissioned to represent participants in the 2014 Commonwealth Games held in Glasgow.

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Collaborate -

He collaborated with Art Pistol Projects to complete numerous artworks around Patrick and Merchant City in anticipation for the Games.

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