Newcastle / Mulubinba

InkHunter is an environmental mural artist from Sydney. For nearly a decade, he’s been creating large-scale murals, installations and meaningful artworks that centre around the ocean, native plants and reducing plastic waste. He crafts unique graphic designs, digital art and animations. His art encourages people to connect with nature and leave our planet better than when we found it.

 “I’ve been following the Big Picture Festival for a while now, and I’ve always admired the incredible artworks that come out of it. I’m so stoked to be a part of the festival this year! Newcastle has really grown into a vibrant arts hub, and I can’t wait to contribute to the mural scene.”

“I’ll be creating an artwork titled, ‘Beneath the Surface’. On the surface, the mural will be a tribute to the ocean’s power and beauty. But it will come alive to reveal a hidden message. I don’t want to give away much more, so you’ll have to wait and see for yourself.”

Sophi Odling is an Australian artist who paints large-scale murals around the globe. Her work focuses on the beauty amongst the chaos in our everyday lives. The vivid narratives reflect human behaviours, environments and cultures that she encounters.

Born in 1983 in Seoul, South Korea, Sophi grew up in Sydney, Australia, where she currently lives and works. In 2005 Sophi completed her BFA at UNSW College of Fine Arts. In 2017 Sophi started painting murals after a 14 year career in fashion. Her murals can be seen in America, Europe, South East Asia, Central America and Australia.

Sophi presents her work in hope to celebrate the acceptance of cultural diversity, borderless minds and the innocence of youth.

“I’m stoked to have the opportunity to contribute to the growing outdoor street art gallery of Newcastle. The Port Stephens and Newcastle areas are places I’ve frequented since a child with family rooted here, so I’m excited to have my first public wall with the Big Picture Fest”

Melody is a Newcastle based Artist, Muralist, and teacher whose paintings combine ancient art influences with bold modern colour. Following her graduation from Newcastle University with a Graphic Design degree in 2022, she joined Onwards studio, where she debuted her solo exhibition ‘Contemporary Antiquities’ in 2023. Since then, Melody has been involved in numerous group exhibitions and her murals have become a beloved part of Newcastle’s urban landscape. Committed to sharing her passion for art, Melody conducts workshops in a range of different mediums for enthusiasts of all skill levels. As she prepares for her upcoming solo exhibition in Canberra, she continues to explore new ways to merge the past with the present.

“I have been following along with the Big Picture Festival since I moved to Newcastle in 2019 and have loved watching Newy being transformed into a vibrant creative hub! I am over the moon to be able to contribute to the art scene in my favourite city and home and be involved in the fantastic creative community here. I am so excited for the festival and to paint alongside an amazing lineup of artists.”

Daniel Gould is a versatile multidisciplinary artist rooted in a rich heritage of tattoo artistry, coming from a second generation tattoo family. Born into a nomadic lifestyle across the country due to his fathers profession, Daniel now calls Nelson Bay Port Stephens his home.

With nearly 15 years of experience, Daniel embarked on his tattooing journey under the guidance of his father at the age of 18. However, his artistic expression extends beyond tattooing and into the realm of painting abstract calligraphy, or “calligraffiti”.

Daniel`s passion for abstract calligraphy is deeply influenced by his diverse life experiences. From an early curiosity for graffiti handstyles and letters, to immersive international travels to India, Nepal, U.A.E & Thailand. It’s here where he discovered a profound connection with the universal language of calligraphic texts.

For Daniel, painting serves as a meditative practice aimed at  fostering peace and harmony, both within himself and the world  around him. His artworks often evoke a sense of mystery, inviting  viewers to contemplate the nature of our reality and the power of art and its ability to evoke deep introspection .

Daniel is currently navigating a transition from being a full-time  tattoo artist to achieving a more balanced and aligned lifestyle  where painting and tattooing complement each other  harmoniously. His aspiration is to integrate these practices  seamlessly, creating a symbiotic relationship between the two.

“As we move out of winter and into spring, I aim to bring in some fresh seasonal energy to the Big Picture Fest in September, by using a colour palette that reflects the changing of the seasons.”

“Being picked for the Big Picture Fest is giving me the opportunity to showcase my work at a large scale close to home in Newcastle. Getting to connect and paint with other already established and talented artists is an absolute privilege.”

“Preplanning designs for the designated site, and correspondence with event organisers has furthered my understanding for painting at a scale and level of this size. It’s a great learning process that I will highly benefit from, and I’m grateful for the opportunity that has been given.”

Melbourne-based George Rose is best known for her large-scale murals and vibrant use of colour. Her work is rooted in gestural mark-making, often recreated at scale intertwining with endemic botanicals and personal source material. Exploring the fragility of nature, she balances a combination of hard edges with bold undulating colours and texture. Her work frequently showcases endangered indigenous flora and fauna, utilising the expansive size of each building as a canvas to transform the micro into a macro-scale. Rose has proven to be one of Australia’s leading street artists, winning several national art awards and when she’s not working on commercial projects, you can find her on the global street art festival circuit.

Rose will be painting the Newcastle Permanent building on Hunter St Mall (Scott St facade) with Newcastle Permanent proudly supporting this year’s BPF as major sponsors.

Fraz the Wizard is an Adelaide-based artist. Since 2011, he has delved into the worlds of film and parkour and he finds overlap between parkour and street art. His artistic inspiration strikes a balance between a messy grunge aesthetic and the meticulous craftsmanship seen in the films of Kubrick and Tarkovsky. BPF will screen his film Evolution on the Friday night launch.

“The film Evolution is an abstract piece about how everything is connected. It came out of a conversation I had with BPF Creative Director Joel Van Moore about energy, dreams, particles. I believe there is a connection between street art, parkour, ourselves and the future and you can experience this first hand at our festival launch on the Friday opening night.”

Multimedia artist and graphic designer Jasmine Miikika Craciun returns to her old stomping ground to add fresh coats of paint and colour the city! Jasmine Miikika Craciun’s practice sits between mediums, experimenting with digital illustration, murals, textiles, sculpture and installation. Rooted in her diverse familial background encompassing Barkindji, Malyangapa, Romanian and Austrian identity, Jasmine celebrates ancestral resilience. As both an Aboriginal woman and second generation ‘Australian’ she navigates the complexities of identity with an artistic vision that transcends a single artistic medium. Central themes of place and home echo narratives of displacement, illustrating the impact on her identity, and inviting viewers to contemplate the intricate dance between personal narratives and broader historical contexts.

Bathurst-based artist, Calum Hotham, is known for his big canvases and realistic style is painting a stunning mural on the corner of Nelson and Boscawen Street on the old Electrodry building. Representing the evolution of identity, his artwork is based on a series of photographs by Novocastrian photographers Melanie Muddle and Hannah Robinson from @andthen.photoagency

“I was born in 1996 in Bathurst. I moved to Sydney as a semi-professional cricketer, but then art became my true calling. I’ve just come from painting a wall in Frankston Victoria for Big Picture Fest, and now it’s a privilege to work with Melanie, Hannah, Kat to help represent the upcoming Wallsend community through images of the students. I hope I do it justice.”