NZ Herald exclusive timelapse of local artist Jonny 4Higher creating a mural at Eden Park for Coldplay's world tour.
Video / Eden Park
Epic new mural by Kiwi graffiti artist Jonny 4Higher brings a big splash of colour to Eden Parkstadium as Coldplay tickets go on sale for 2024 New Zealand shows.
How do you welcome one of the world’s biggest bands? A large-scale work of art is a good start, asEden Park gets set to host the Grammy-winning rock band Coldplay next year.
Coldplay will make history as the first musical act to perform three shows at the venue, with the extra date announced yesterday evening.
As general tickets go on sale today, the famous stadium unveils a large-scale mural of artwork from the band’s latest album, created by New Zealand graffiti artist Jonny 4Higher, also known as Jonny Wartmann.
“Eden Park is a blank canvas for creativity,” explains CEO Nick Sautner. “As a venue that is renowned for its association with the colour black, as the spiritual home of the All Blacks, Black Ferns, Black Caps, White Ferns, Football Ferns and All Whites, the #MOTSWT mural certainly adds colour to our national stadium.”
Chris Martin of Coldplay on the 'Music Of The Spheres World Tour', which will come to Auckland in November 2024. Photo / Getty Images
The artist was about to get started when the New Zealand Herald visited earlier this week, picking up his tools once the camera began rolling, with Eden Park sharing a time-lapse of the process exclusively with NZ Herald.
“This is some of the artwork from their latest album,” explains Jonny. It’s a larger-scale version of a mural he was hired to paint on Cuba St in Wellington. “Eden Park management saw it and loved it so much that they wanted one of their own!”
Sautner adds that it was his wife who saw the work in the capital. “I reached out to seek his availability, and within 12 hours,” he says, the project kicked off.
Eden Park commissioned a special mural for Coldplay's Music of the Spheres tour.
Every commission is unique. “I have different approaches for different jobs, some require a design process whereas some are a bit looser. Usually, the client tells me what they want, I come up with a design for them to approve and then I paint it.”
Originally from Ōtautahi Christchurch, he’s been at it for nearly two decades. It’s become a full-time job. “Ever since I became a parent I pretty much only paint murals,” he says. “My background is in graffiti art, with no formal art training.”
These mediums, murals and graffiti, are a unique part of Aotearoa’s creative landscape, bringing art into the public sphere and adding colour to urban form.
“Most art is displayed in galleries, often only for a limited time,” says Jonny. “Murals, however, can seen by potentially everybody!”
It’s not often you get to watch an artist at work, and a piece of this scale is a big undertaking. Jonny describes the opportunity as humbling and flattering. “I’m very grateful to be here.”
The mural took two days to create, and it remains to be seen if tickets will sell out in less time than that (it’s likely).
The record-breaking Music of the Spheres world tour — which began in 2022 — sees the UK band play three dates in Tamaki Makaurau: November 13, 15 and 16.
