Preston’s golden age: mysterious guerrilla art tackles everything from toilets to Shakespeare

I missed the first one.

I only caught on after seeing posts about a mysterious golden toilet among the Northcote Plaza Appreciation Society Facebook page’s usual chat about the “good Coles”, the “shit Coles” and Frank the pigeon’s latest exploits.

Then a golden fan appeared and my fascination with Northcote’s golden objects began.

They first popped up in the middle of St Georges Road in Melbourne’s north at the end of 2022, sitting on a black air valve cover that used to be part of a water main drain.

There have now been 15 variations to ponder as you head into the city in the morning peak hour traffic – an ever-changing display of toilets, fans and plungers, always painted gold and combined with written commentary.

Golden things appearing north of the Yarra River aren’t new. Since 2020, at least five varieties of a golden head have appeared in Northcote’s All Nations Park.

Darebin council eventually removed them all.

But the council does have a guerrilla art policy that must apply to the latest wave of golden objects, as they have been allowed to stay.

It says: “We are aware that there may be a range of unendorsed guerrilla art interventions in the public realm such as stencilling, sprayed murals or other street art and craft practices that many community members are receptive to due to their artistic merit or because of their relevance to, or commentary on, local or community issues. We are committed to public art in Darebin.”

It seems at least some council residents agree. One day Modern Art Not a Fan appeared on Google Maps as a landmark and stayed. Comments on the map listing range from “The art is a point of joy every time I drive past it” to “Best attraction in Preston. Should probably be in the Louvre.”

Why do I like them so much? What’s the allure?

I like to imagine the artists – I assume it’s plural because a porcelain toilet would be too heavy for one person to work with.

Do they use quick-drying paint? Do they avoid the full moon? Wait for a cloudy night and dash across St Georges Road, camouflaged TISM-like so their identity remains a secret?

Last December, a special Christmas throne appeared at a second location, the corner of Murray and St Georges roads.

While I was photographing it, two laughing women ran across and asked if I could take their photo poised on top. I’m sure that was an oft-repeated scenario.

But inevitably, it seems, the displays were eventually smashed and ruined.

So we moved on to a scolding Shakespearean quote on an empty black plinth.

While waiting for developments I had a short detour to golden head-hunting.

These new heads – unlike a locally renowned 2020 work of guerrilla art in All Nations Park, which was a man’s golden head on a plinth – are all beautifully crafted women’s faces and have popped up in laneways around Northcote and Preston.

But somehow I didn’t enjoy tracking the heads down as much as I loved laughing at the latest toilet development.

It was time for another drive-by.

The toilet had morphed into a golden armchair, with commentary on homelessness.

Originally, I was eager to discover who was doing it.

Was it the same artist as the one who made the golden heads? A copycat local with a witty sense of humour?

One of the wilder theories about the 2020 golden head’s origins is that he was made by one of the Australian Cultural Terrorists who in 1986 stole the Weeping Woman from the National Gallery of Victoria.

Typewritten ransom notes were sent to the Age newspaper addressed to the Victorian arts minister of the time Race Matthews and were signed from the Australian Cultural Terrorists.

Three weeks after the paintings disappearance it was found, after an anonymous phone tip-off, in a luggage locker at Spencer Street Railway station.

No one was ever charged with the theft.

Perhaps one of them now lectures in art, creating a fresh crop of guerrilla artists; the golden toilets, after all, appear almost opposite Melbourne Polytechnic.

But I no longer want to solve my favourite Preston enigma. The mystery is more fun.