Buddy Franklin Surry Hills mural gets Indigenous design rebrand after City of Sydney refusal

Artists behind a Buddy Franklin mural have gone back to the drawing board to give the design a rebrand after the original proposal was refused by the City of Sydney for being ‘too commercial’.

A photo of the new designs for the mural, planned on the side of a home in Surry Hills.

A planning battle over a proposal for a hand painted mural depicting AFL great Buddy Franklin has taken a new turn after the City of Sydney rejected the artwork over claims it was “too commercial”.

Artists behind the proposed $5000 mural have gone back to the drawing board to give the proposed design an Indigenous-themed rebrand in a move aimed at winning the council’s tick of approval.

The new designs come after the council refused the original mural due the artistic merits of the design which it labelled an “advertisement” for the Sydney Swans rather than “street art” and had “not demonstrated design excellence”

The original design depicted the iconic moment when Franklin scored his 1000th goal at the Sydney Cricket Ground in 2022 and incorporated a backdrop of fans rushing onto the field in celebration of the landmark moment.

New designs show the depiction of footy fans has been removed from the mural and replaced with a background of an Indigenous artwork created by First Nations artist Sandon Gibbs-O’Neill.

A photo of the original design which was refused by the City of Sydney.

Melbourne-based advertising company Apparition Media – which has commissioned the artwork on the side of a home in Surry Hills – said the new design places greater emphasis on Indigenous culture and Franklin as an individual, rather than a sportsperson.

“The amended proposal is more clearly street art or ‘public art’ as per the council’s definition (of street art) in their public art policy,” the company’s plans stated.

“It is less bold, and has greater emphasis on Buddy Franklin as a proud Indigenous individual, rather than a sportsperson

The mural depicts Franklin’s 1000th AFL career goal at the SCG in March 2022 – kicked ahead of his retirement from the game.

We consider that the amended development scheme appropriately addresses the issues raised by the council and warrants approval.”

The Swans also questioned why the proposal was refused when two murals depicting Sydney Swans greats – Adam Goodes and Josh Kennedy – have been permitted in the council area.

“We believe the mural would have made a wonderful contribution to the street art through Surry Hills,” a club spokeswoman said.

The mural would be painted on the blank wall of a three storey Surry Hills terrace.

The owner of the Surry Hills property told The Daily Telegraph the new design would make the mural “almost impossible” for the council – which prides itself on its socially progressive credentials – to refuse.

“There was a meeting with the council where they were shown the new plans and they’ve completely changed their tune,” he said.

“I think they can justify the new design more and it’s going to be hard for them to stop now.

“I’m disappointed the first one didn’t get through – it was a ridiculous decision because the mural was just intended as a tribute to someone who’s had a massive influence in the sporting field.”

The mural is intended to honour Franklin’s AFL career.

The council’s original assessment of the mural also stated the artwork.

The updated plans include reducing the overall height of Franklin in the mural from approximately 12m to 6m.

Apparition Media, in its plans for the new mural, stated the design was partly aimed at inspiring “future generations and showcasing the extraordinary rewards of hard work and perseverance”

Indigenous artist Sandon Gibbs-O’Neill, who has been commissioned to create the design in partnership with local artist Laura Paige, said the mural shows “the rich culture of the land that we walk on elements of Aboriginal symbols, tools, animal tracks and bush tucker.

The council’s decision comes after mixed feedback about the mural was raised in submissions from Surry Hills residents with one local saying: “why on earth do we need yet more giant murals of male sportsmen?”

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