School Mural

Colour on the Walls: Steven Nuttall’s Fortian Celebration

In the layered visual language of Sydney’s street art scene, few artists have developed a style as instantly recognisable as Steven Nuttall, better known as Ox King. Across laneways, tunnels, public buildings and community spaces, his murals pulse with saturated colour, graphic intensity and emotional storytelling. Over the past few months at Fort Street that philosophy finds a perfect home.

Fort Street is also defined by something deeper than achievement: its extraordinary diversity and drive. Students from countless cultural backgrounds, languages and life experiences pass through our corridors every day, creating a community that reflects modern Sydney itself. Ox King’s mural captures this Fortian spirit with vibrancy, warmth and unmistakable energy.

In the once dark thoroughfare between the Wilkins and Kilgour Buildings (near the Museum) is now a destination. The mural is a blend of fantasy, portraiture and the natural world through bold colour palettes and dynamic compositions. Nuttall has repeatedly spoken about wanting murals to exist in everyday life — artworks students and teachers encounter on their way to class. In interviews, he has described murals as landmarks that become part of the visual identity and history of a place. An idea resonates strongly at Fort Street. The mural stands as more than a painted surface; it is a reflection of the Fortians themselves. Faces, colour and movement combine to express the vitality of a student body shaped by multicultural Sydney. The artwork radiates optimism and individuality, celebrating not only academic excellence but also creativity, inclusion and belonging.

Ox King’s signature use of intense blues, pinks, purples, oranges and luminous tones creates a sense of momentum across the walls and stairwell. His figures often feel alive with motion and emotion, and here that approach mirrors the restless energy of youth. The mural acknowledges students not as a uniform collective, but as distinct individuals connected through shared space and shared experience.

There is also something profoundly democratic about public art in a school environment. Unlike a gallery exhibition, the mural belongs to everyone who walks past it — students arriving for class, teachers, parents and the wider community. It becomes part of daily life. For young people especially, seeing themselves represented in large-scale public art can be deeply affirming. It sends a message that diversity is not simply accepted but celebrated. In doing so, Ox King has created something rare: a mural that functions simultaneously as artwork, mirror and symbol. It reflects the vibrancy of Fort Street while reminding students that their stories, cultures and identities deserve to be seen on the walls of the school itself.

Mr Wallace

Archivist