By Casey Neill
“The mural isn’t just a painting of someone I’m proud of, but something for the community to be proud of.”
Street artist Mike Eleven returned to his home town of Springvale South and transformed a blank brick wall into an image of inspiration.
His sister Alisa Souvanthalisith is the subject of the striking blue portrait at Wardale Road and Noble Street.
The eyes show an inner strength and determination while the overall picture conveys vulnerability and compassion.
Mike grew up around the corner and attended the nearby Keysborough College, then Heatherhill Secondary School.
“I felt obligated to give back to the community that brought me up,” he said.
“Being one of the very few artists in my wave of kids growing up, I never saw any inspiring public art that I could relate to.
“With this mural, I hoped to show my often-conservative but always curious suburb and the rest of Melbourne that there was more to Springvale than just a notorious reputation for trouble and being the butt of tired racial jokes.”
Mike chose his sister as the face of his “mission” to connect with viewers on a human level.
“You can’t get any more personal than a face,” he said.
“I’ve moved out of home now, but to her Springvale South is still home.
“It made sense that I painted a local face – someone for the locals to be inspired by, to aspire to be, fall in love with and believe in, even if they never meet her in person.”
He wanted the wall to reflect how special his sister was to him.
“My sister has always been my inspiration and beacon of hope for the next generation of migrant-born Australians from the sleepy suburbs,” he said.
“I can safely say I wouldn’t be painting as much as I do now if not for her.
“Lord knows, Springvale wasn’t the most glamorous place to grow up in back in the ‘90s.
“At least this way I can contribute to the culture that the next generation after my sister will be swimming in.”
Mike has spent the past year focusing his work on Asian female identity.
“My work aims to tackle the common misconception and stereotype that Asian women are docile and submissive,” he said.
“Initially inspired by spending a lot of time with my sister, I went further into exploring the duality between the gentleness and vulnerability of my sister and mother, to their often unseen strength and perseverance in today’s society.
“Through talking and listening to the struggles of my family and friends, I’m learning how to create a more coherent visual language as well as learning more about myself and my own identity.”
Mike found a love for art in his late teens through graffiti.
He’s grown from a student sketching on schoolbooks to a full-time creative, and was named one of Melbourne’s 40 most-iconic artists working on the streets in the Melbourne Street Art Guide.
