A group of graffiti artists are bringing their work to Canberra for an October exhibition. Photos: Marilyn Tuna.
The spray paint is returning to Canberra, but nobody is sneaking around in the dark this time.
The Killing of Canberra 2026 is a display of graffiti art being organised by West Australian-based artist and photographer Marilyn Tuna – and it will all be done in the light of day.
Marilyn said choosing Canberra as the host city was an easy decision.
“It’s the perfect spot,” she said.
“It has the largest space in the Southern Hemisphere [for legal graffiti at the Woden drains]. We can bring this many artists together.
“We’ve got quite a lot of support from local government. We don’t feel like we have to sneak in and out, which is really nice.”
It follows a 2025 event – also called The Killing of Canberra – which is believed to be the first time the Woden drains were painted end-to-end in one event.
This year, artists from far and wide will again gather to paint the drains. For the first time, attendees can also visit an exhibition.
“It’s kind of two separate events now, which is exciting and busy.”
Marilyn said that while not every artist from last year’s event was expected to submit works for sale in this year’s exhibition, entrants were “furiously trying to finish” their pieces.
“A lot of people don’t live in Canberra, so it’s quite a big expense [for them to be involved],” she said.
“Hopefully, in the coming years, this becomes a bigger part of the art project as a whole, so we can see a little bit of a financial return for the artists.”
She also said there were few rules in place, meaning the artists were largely given creative freedom.
“We don’t want to dictate what they do, but we do have a colour range that we try and stick with.
“We’re going to do cartoons this year. We think of cartoons as inviting younger members of society to be interested in it, as well.”
Marilyn is keen on bringing “legitimate and good street art” back to Canberra.
Marilyn is hopeful the 2026 outing of The Killing of Canberra will help grow an understanding of street art beyond ‘tagging’ or vandalism in public places.
She said having legal art projects, such as murals, could deter antisocial behaviour.
“I would love to have people coming in who would never have been interested in stuff like this, to get more of an understanding of the art form.
“There’s an element of trying to raise awareness that it can be a beautiful, and a lot of it is done with good intent.”
Marilyn said the upcoming exhibition could build momentum and become the start of a new annual event.
“It’s a pretty insular cohort, for obvious reasons. … but once we’ve done the first one, the artists will see the vibe and the energy, and it’ll probably be more encouraging for the years to follow.
“It’s always a gamble doing these things, but I think it’s a gamble worth taking.”
You can find out more about the Killing of Canberra 2026 online, with the exhibition to be held on 3 October at 131 City Walk in Civic. The Woden drains are located along Callam Street. Find out more about the site and Canberra’s other legal graffiti spots on the City Services’ website.
