The large mural runs through the Melbourne suburbs of Windsor and Prahran and is painted on a wall opposite Windsor Railway Station. It is based on a photograph of NBA Rookie of the Year, Ben Simmons. Graphic design skill features heavily in the development of such murals.
Nearby shop owners say the mural has been on display since March but has only recently become known as a Melbourne tourist attraction. A 23-year-old artist from Bentleigh East who goes by the name of Lynch is behind the portrait of Simmons. He said:
‘I’m a simple guy, I love basketball and Simmons is such a cool guy.’
Lynch hopes the art work, which took a week to complete and is his first public piece, will be kept on display for as long as possible. Local businesses the Paint Spot and Smart Stay Melbourne, which owns the wall, teamed up to make the mural happen.
Smart Stay manager Ann Faulkner said:
‘We plan to keep the mural for as long as we have the building.’
Ben Simmons himself has given the work his tick of approval. The Philadelphia 76ers star, who is also originally from Melbourne, posted to his three million Instagram followers that the mural is ‘amazing’.