Wellington’s Beach

Oriental Bay, Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand · 2020

Commissioned in 2020 as a temporary intervention to shield the construction site of the Rotonda in Oriental Bay, this large-scale public mural transforms a utilitarian hoarding into a joyful public artwork.

Employing a deliberately reduced chromatic palette, dominated by warm yellows and soft pastels reminiscent of vintage children’s picture books, the composition evokes the carefree pleasures of 1920s seaside bathing. Stylised figures in period swimwear play, dive, sunbathe and parade across the wall. Their exaggerated gestures and playful props, including beach balls, hula hoops and toy animals, celebrate leisure and community. A red Oriental Bay tram anchors the scene in local history. Bright, graphic and immediately accessible, the mural brings lightness and historical resonance to a transitional urban space.