On the Hunt with Neda from Melbourne (AUS).
Welcome back to our hunterviews. It’s been a while since we last published one, our last one dates from 2018! But the recent revival of our community and recent meetings with hunters motivated me to re-start this series. It’s a unique and interesting way to get to know our hunters and their inspiring stories. Kinda reminds me of the ‘origin stories’ of superheroes, as matter of fact we are superheroes, roaming the streets with our favorite weapons, smartphones, camera’s and drones. Looking for and after all the beautiful art in our streets. Enough bla bla, let’s get it on with Neda, aka VIRUSFREAK79 on IG, one of our fresh hunters for the Melbourne team.
1. Who?
Hello, my name is Neda. You probably know me by my Insta handle, @virusfreak79. I often get asked ‘why virusfreak??’. The nickname dates back to my university days, where I studied virology as a major. It was one of those things that just stuck. I am a mum of two, and work for a multinational biotechnology company.
2. Where?
My home town is Melbourne, Australia. I often go on long explore drives all over the state of Victoria, visiting everything from street art festival locations to small farming communities that have become draw-cards with massive murals painted onto decommissioned wheat silos. I sometimes get opportunities to travel for work and try to hunt down a few pieces in my travels.
3. The Beginning?
My workplace relocated from the suburbs into the city and I started going for walks during lunchtimes. I tried to go to different locations every time, based on a theme and what was accessible in the given timeframe. There was the ‘Sculpture Walk’, the ‘Sporting Precinct Walk’, the ‘Goldrush Walk’ and there was one common thread in all these walks — street art was everywhere! Over time, I learnt to differentiate between the different artists and was particularly drawn to large scale murals and abandon art. Over time, this has grown into an obsession and the rest is history!
4. The Difference
Melbourne has a lot of very passionate street art hunters, so you are sure to have at least one of them snapping photos as the paint is still drying! We are very fortunate to attract world-class international artists and consider ourselves spoilt for choice, with extensive collections of murals, graffiti, paste-ups, stencils, art installations etc, spread out across the large metropolitan area.
5. Favorite Gear
I do a lot of walking and prefer to travel light. My hunting kit is super-simple. I shoot with my iPhone. Location addresses are on the SAC map or saved in my phone. The only other things I need are comfortable walking shoes and a water bottle.
6. Style vs challenge
I like to take setting shots for context and some close ups for detail. When posting to Instagram, I like to provide a story behind the piece and add a matching audio to the post. As most hunters would say, the biggest challenges are light and parked cars!
7.Any crazy adventures?
One the Melbourne’s inner-city hotels has a Secret Laneway, an underground graffiti laneway accessible only from an underground function room. Passers by are offered a tease view from one of the corridors, but to truly appreciate the awe of the location, one had to find their way into the pricey corporate venue and view the artwork from the inside. A few weeks later, a plan was hatched. I would need to recruit some assistance.
“We have a booking.. here to inspect the Secret Laneway room for our corporate Christmas party” — we said to the Receptionist.
“Over this way’, she said, and took us down the long corridor.
As we entered the room, my colleagues were chatting up the Receptionist, discussing menu options and prices per head. I was trying to contain my enthusiasms and play part, but it was hard to focus. Standing directly in front of us, in all her glory, was an exquisite 6-meter-tall mural of a Japanese Geisha, painted by the Melbourne-based, Mongolian artist @heesco. It was one of those times when I felt truly alive!
Check out the Secret Laneway Geisha on the SAC Melbourne map.
8. Don’t miss!
A visit to Melbourne is not complete without a trip to AC/DC Lane. Whether you are a music fan, a foodie or a street art hunter, there is something there for everyone. A huge mural by Fintan Magee awaits those who venture down.
9. Crush?!
For me, it would have to be Guido van Helten! What Guido delivers in monochrome, is not attainable to many with a full spectrum of colours.
10. Collections?
I read a lot and collect books. In my walks, I like to do book swaps at the Free Little Libraries. Currently re-reading ‘The Disappearing Spoon’ — by Sam Kean.
11. Street Art Cities….
It is great to have a global platform with so many passionate people behind it. I enjoy the collaboration and the networking between the hunters, artists, and street art photographers, needed to represent our city to the world.
12. Any last words?
Hoping to see SAC grow over the coming years. Thank you for the opportunity!
Neda joined SAC during the summer (2023) and has been all over the place and is together with fellow rookie Andrew responsible for the scorching update of the Melbourne map, she uploaded over 300 artworks in matter of months and is continously on the prowl and the move. So give her some love and follow her on the app so you see what’s she’s up to….
check the Melbourne map in our app and look for her uploads and follow her.
Street Art Cities is ‘the world’s street art platform’, a global community of art lovers, artists, galleries, festivals and city wanderers building the world’s biggest street art map. You can find over 47.000 locations in + 1300 cities in the world, find ’em all the with the free Street Art Cities app (available on iOS and Play store). They also offer services to assist citymarketeers and tourist departements to tap into the rising popularity for street art. The German city of Cologne is the latest to join the ‘Offical Partnership Program’ .
