While pop sensation Justin Bieber was down under in Australia, he left his mark on the QT Sydney—literally. The Biebs painted graffiti on an exterior wall at the Gold-Coast hotel depicting silly cartoon faces.
The wall art was praised by Bieber fans but criticized by the city, with the Mayor Tom Tate denouncing the performer’s artistic expression. Mayor Tate even sent a videotaped message to Bieber telling him to clean up the work and wrote a letter to the hotel threatening that the city can insist on removal of graffiti in private spaces if it’s visible from public spaces.
But according to a post on the QT Sydney, the hotel does not plan on taking down the mural anytime soon. According to a statement from the hotel, Bieber asked permission to paint on the wall and was allowed to do so. QT Sydney has embraced the graffiti art and is even reaching out to local graffiti artists, asking them to submit their work for a chance to make another piece of wall art at the hotel.
On Facebook, QT Sydney wrote: “In true QT Style, our management have decided to make it into something positive for the arts community. Remember guys, putting crap on someone else for their art is not cool. Everyone has a right to have a go at self expression (when they do it responsibly).”
