Source : Perth Now news
A mural painted by a local artist in memory of a teen who took his own life two years ago after relentless cyberbullying has been vandalised just days after it was finished.
Perth painter Jordan Rush collaborated with Osborne Park community group Love Our Main Street to bring to life a suicide awareness mural in honour of Christian Caruso who was 15 when he lost his battle with depression.
Ms Rush finished the anti-bullying mural on May 13 and it was defaced by vandals just four days later.
The painting is of a girl who was cyberbullied by the same group of teens as Christian just weeks after his death.
“There is a lot of symbolism in the painting, it was very tragic bullying that took place on snapchat,” Ms Rush told PerthNow.
“The butterfly represents Christian because his mum referred to him as a butterfly because his life was short and it is blue for his blue eyes.
“The girl in the painting was bullied by the same individuals after Christian took his life and she is wearing a gas mask to show the suffocating bullying they both went through.”
Grace Caruso, the mother of Christian, told PerthNow having the mural of her son vandalised felt like a “personal attack”.
“My initial thought was shock, after the shock I felt sadness and I just couldn’t stop thinking why,” she said.
“I took it very personal at first, it felt like people were kicking us while we are down as if we hadn’t lost enough.”
Tania Pietracatella, who was heavily involved in the coordination of the mural, said she does not plan on reporting the vandalism.
“The whole point of the mural was to turn something negative into a positive,” Ms Pietracatella said.
“I don’t want to retaliate, I don’t want to dwell on the negative I want to move forward and not get angry.”
Ms Rush plans to redesign the artwork to incorporate the large swipe of white paint through the centre.
“I am going to incorporate what they have done and adjust the design because we think it is meaningful,” she said.
Ms Rush plans to repaint the mural in the coming week and this time plans to use an anti-graffiti coat to prevent further vandalism.
Through tears Ms Caruso remembered her son as “loving, sociable and well-liked”.
“The mural was a lovely gesture and to me, it was a way of reaching out to those bullies to say ‘be kind to people’,” she said.
“After years of losing him, it was a glimmer of hope that maybe we can get through to the bullies,
“We lost a son, he’s not going to walk through our door again, we won’t get to watch him reach future milestones, bullies need to take a look at themselves and take responsibility for their actions.”
Lifeline: 13 11 14
