An unintended response: The story behind the Hello Shalom mural

On the afternoon of Saturday 13 December 2025, I started painting a mural, a personal project combining multiple languages. Titled Hello Shalom, it was designed to honour our global multicultural society. Over the previous few days, I prepared the layout so the words nestled together, echoing how cultures sit side by side, distinct yet deeply connected.

By 6pm on Saturday, I had painted half the mural, so returned on Sunday 14 December. That afternoon, I heard, with disbelief, about the tragic shooting at Bondi Beach. I questioned how such violence could pervade our calm country. Should I post about what I was painting? To me, that would feel like I was distracting from the actual event, shedding light on myself instead of the people involved. I kept painting, but delayed posting about the mural.

By Sunday night, I had finished the mural, still watching for updates about the bravery of Bondi, the heroes who helped, and how Australia and the world responded. The timing of the mural felt like it brought additional poignancy, transforming from an unintentional message of solidarity into a heartfelt response of recognition and respect — one that affirms everyone’s right to celebrate their faith and culture. One week later, I posted about the mural on my website, then here on the blog and, later, on Instagram.

Lettering and murals have a unique power to promote acceptance by making language/s visible, joyful and shared. When words from different cultures appear side by side, they invite curiosity, turning walls into welcoming conversations. Murals offer hope without needing explanation. Through colour and typography, words become an inclusive visual language. In this way, lettering becomes a connection across cultures and humanity.

My hope for this mural is to recognise many languages but specifically the Jewish greeting of Shalom alongside English hello. I experimented with different tools and techniques, and used a combination of hand lettering and fonts for a multilingual feeling. For Witam, I used my Newy colour font. Shalom, Ciao and Sveiki are my own handwriting. Jingeri uses DCDynamic font, and Hei is the Cheesecake font.

Hello Shalom highlights the power of colour and meaningful messaging to transform a public space during an unexpected moment in time. The mural celebrates how lettering, colour, and language can transform a wall with a message of unity and care. My primary hope is that my mural generates inclusivity and peace. Sending peace and joy to you.