Vault Mural

by melbourne artist mic porter

The 2023 Urban Canvas Graffiti Pilot Program was funded by The Victorian State Government’s Community Support Fund involving six councils that form ISMMF Inner South Metro Mayors Forum

“It’s the most hit wall in the entire City of Port Phillip and covers 2000sqm of uninterrupted grey boring concrete. It’s an asset owned by VicRoads and we have commissioned a local artist to paint it.” ***

Mic Porter’s monumental mural, Vault, unlocked the Pandora’s box under the Esplanade, letting out a flurry of colourful mashetani and provoking a fervour of exorcisms.

Who could have been so outraged by Mic Porter’s ghouls-in-progress to buff the wall from one end to the other before it was even completed?

July 13, early morning walkers discover splashed across the span of the wall in big, white block letters:

“Fear not, little children. These fools have provoked the archangel.”

A quick internet search offers clues.

From the Mormon church Doctrine & Covenants 50:41:
“Fear not, little children, for you are mine.“

From the National Gallery UK:
“Archangels are the highest order of angels and number only seven. The four most often depicted in art are: Gabriel, the messenger of God who brought the announcement of Christ’s birth to the Virgin Mary; Michael, the dispenser of justice; Raphael, the healer and protector of travellers; and Uriel, the angel of prophecy and wisdom.”

From Wikipedia:
“Michael is… an archangel in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and the Baha’i faith. The earliest surviving mentions of his name are in 3rd and 2nd-century BC Jewish works, often but not always apocalyptic, where he is the chief of the angels and archangels, and he is the guardian prince of Israel and is responsible for the care of Israel. Christianity adopted nearly all the Jewish traditions concerning him, and he is mentioned explicitly in Revelation 12:7–12, where he does battle with Satan…”

From the Urban Dictionary:
Fool is “a word for a friend, interchangeable with homeboy.“

That curious line about terrified children, angels and fools, sadly, is no longer there. Buffed in turn by the artist, no doubt.

July 24, the wall is once again defaced, quite heavily. The “most confronting” bits of Mic’s mural have been roller-painted over, while a row of white crosses dotted the mural from one end of the wall to the other. Beneath one read, Mark 3:15.

Three weeks later still no sign of Mic. Has he thrown the towel in?

Or could the buffing of that vast mural on ‘the most hit wall in the entire City of Port Phillip‘ be deliberate and central to the artist project to incite debate? Could Michael and his homies be those same fools who were behind what could then be a very well-staged buffing?

If you haven’t looked it up yet, Mark chapter 3 verse 15 is said “to have power to cast out demons.”

“Art and religion have a complex relationship that has been intertwined throughout history:

Art as a visual language. Art can communicate meaning that goes beyond words.
Religious beliefs as inspiration. Religious beliefs have inspired many artistic expressions, from ancient cave paintings to modern installations.
Artists sharing their beliefs. Artists often use their creativity to share their beliefs, including their relationship to the divine.
Avoiding idolatry. Historically, art often avoided direct depictions of the divine to prevent idolatry.
Art as a form of self-knowledge. Art can be a form of self-knowledge that helps people understand themselves in the world.
Multiple perspectives. A work of art can be interpreted in multiple ways, from the material to the existential.

Some say that art and religion are close kin and spring from the same root. Others say that the relationship between art and religion is deeply indissoluble.”—Gen.AI+

***The 2023 Urban Canvas Graffiti Pilot Program was funded by Vic State Government’s ‘Community Support Fund’ involving six councils that form ISMMF Inner South Metro Mayors Forum.