Daubist Mural no. 1
Artist
Multiple Artists
Location
40 Frome Street, Adelaide
Originally painted by Carol Ruff and Barbary O’Brien in 1984, Daubist Mural No. 1 was reimagined in 1998 by Driller Jet Armstrong and a collective of local artists, including David Bromley, Brettski, Andrew Parish, Chris Gaston, Andrew Petrusevics and Barbary O’Brien. Commissioned by the City of Adelaide and the Rundle Street Traders, the work is recognised as the world’s first fully realised example of “Daubism” – the practice of transforming an existing artwork while deliberately retaining elements of the original.
The project was not without controversy. While some celebrated the mural as an innovative evolution of the original artwork, others questioned the idea of painting over an established public artwork. The debate reflected wider discussions surrounding Driller Jet Armstrong’s Daubist movement, which challenged traditional ideas of authorship, preservation and artistic ownership by treating artworks as living canvases rather than fixed cultural objects.
Rather than erasing the original mural, Armstrong layered a new narrative over it, leaving elements of the 1984 artwork visible beneath the surface. The resulting composition explores imagination, growth and possibility, following the child from the original mural into a surreal world of futuristic forms and symbolism. Today, it remains one of Adelaide’s most distinctive public artworks and an enduring example of how public art can evolve alongside the city itself.
