A Brunswick mural featuring billionaire Space Karen, Elon Musk, and the iconic Doge dog of meme fame has been defaced and ultimately painted over and removed in recent days in response to Musk performing a Nazi salute at Donald Trump’s inauguration.
Painted by local street artist Lushsux, the mural was on private property in the carpark of firm Process Partners and had gained attention as a quirky nod to internet culture and Musk’s association with cryptocurrency, particularly Dogecoin.
Located on Percy Street, the artwork depicted Elon Musk pointing at the iconic Doge meme shiba inu – a nod to Musk’s prominent role in popularising Dogecoin through his tweets, which often influenced the cryptocurrency’s value.
The mural was initially embraced by fans of Musk and crypto enthusiasts as a playful tribute. However, its reputation shifted dramatically in the days following Musk’s controversial Nazi salute gesture.
The mural quickly became a target for public outrage. A change.org petition launched on 23 January demanded the mural be removed. The organisers argued: “While freedom of expression is respected in Brunswick, we draw a distinctive line when it comes to promoting or celebrating individuals who are believed to carry fascist ideologies. If we allow this mural to stand, are we unknowingly endorsing his alleged beliefs? Musk has frequently found himself in controversy over his insensitive and contentious remarks, causing widespread concern.”
On the Melbourne subreddit three days ago, user pondyisthecoolest posted a photo of the mural and said “surely it’s time to remove this”.
Detractors initially responded by defacing the mural so that Musk was sporting a Hitler moustache.
Then, possibly influenced by this suggestion from Reddit user hammerofwar000, who suggested “write c*nt on it and it will be gone in a day” the mural was hit once more.
Critics defaced the mural with terms like “Fascist” and “Loser” and “Nazi c*nt”.
And just as the Redditor predicted, the mural was painted over fairly quickly, leaving a blank wall where the vibrant artwork once stood.
The incident highlighted the polarising nature of public figures and how art in public spaces can quickly become a medium for both admiration and protest and spilled over out of Reddit to garner debate on various street art social media pages and websites.
In true Melbourne style though, a blank wall can’t stay blank for too long. Some wag was at it yesterday with the final say:
The wall now reads “Happy now?”
Which many people might be… but spare a thought for poor Doge, the innocent meme dog who deserved none of this.
