Kapunda Silo Art Project
Artist: Smug One
Location: Kapunda, South Australia
Curated & Produced by: Juddy Roller
Rising 30 metres above the township, the Kapunda silo mural stands as a powerful new landmark, reflecting the town’s history, resilience, and enduring sense of community.
One of three silos we curated and produced with decade-long collaborator, creative partner, and artist, Smug, in 2025. The artwork honours Kapunda’s copper-mining heritage, offering a moving portrait of the miners who shaped the region in the 1840s. Painted over more than five weeks in all conditions, rain, hail, and heat, the mural captures the physical toll, dignity, and strength of early mining life in South Australia in the 1800’s.
With so many silos being painted across the country, it’s imperative that communities and towns now find their own stories and produce works of such a standard that they cannot be easily reproduced or lost in a sea of often bland and banal silo artworks popping up all over the country.
This is why we worked with Smug on 3 different silo’s last year, and continue to put him forward for major commissions across the country. Smug can take a simple story, one that often reflects the past and times gone by, and make it exciting and digestible to a new audience that may otherwise have little to no interest in the subject. This is very important as the future of these small, dwindling silo towns is the new generations, and if they dont love the artwork created, and cannot relate and champion it, then they are more inclined to believe their small town doesn't actually serve their growth and it becomes jsut another reason to move to the cities and larger regional areas for opportunity and inspiration.
A Landmark Built by Community
This project was made possible through the collective efforts of the Kapunda community, with local residents spending more than two years fundraising to bring the artwork to life. From garage sales and small-business sponsorships to securing grants, the mural is the result of a shared vision and deep local commitment.
As Kapunda Silo Art Committee Chair Danny Taylor explains, the project extends far beyond aesthetics:
“This project has always been about more than paint on concrete. It’s about what can happen when a small town comes together with a shared vision. For us, the silos are a message to every visitor that Kapunda is alive with creativity, history, and heart.”
Art as Identity
Commissioned in March 2025 and completed in October, the mural marks a defining moment in Kapunda’s cultural evolution. Light Regional Council Mayor Bill Close described the work as transformative:
“As you drive into the township, it hits you from different viewpoints. The attention to detail is astounding, right down to the eyelashes. It’s something really special.”
Kapunda has long carried a reputation as an arts-focused regional town, and this mural reinforces that identity while positioning the silos as a bold visual gateway to the region.
Stylised Realism on a Monumental Scale
Known for his distinctive blend of photorealistic precision and narrative warmth, a style he describes as stylised realism, Smug One has become a pioneer of Australia’s silo art movement. The Kapunda mural joins a significant body of work, including landmark silo projects in Lameroo, Wirrabara, and Rupanyup.
For the artist, silos represent more than industrial relics:
“These silos aren’t just forgotten symbols of the past. They’re beacons of hope, visible for miles. I want each one to feel alive and reflect the character of the community that surrounds it.”
Strengthening the Silo Art Trail
Juddy Roller has now produced and curated over 15 South Australian silo artworks and 40+ silos across the country. The Kapunda project plays a key role in reinforcing South Australia’s presence on the Silo Art Trail, a nationally recognised cultural tourism initiative pioneered by Juddy Roller Studio in 2025.
Designed to anchor Kapunda’s creative identity and vast history, the mural welcomes visitors into the region while connecting them to the broader Barossa experience of food, wine, history, and culture.
Today, Kapunda continues to grow its collection of murals, sculptures, and public artworks, with the silos standing tall as a symbol of what regional communities can achieve when art, history, and collective effort align.
