The Woman in the Red Dress (Taylor Swift)

Scott Marsh’s “controversial” mural of singer Taylor Swift was completed in time for her Eras concert tour to Sydney. Controversial because it seems the “swifties” hate it as it is not an endearing likeness of the super star but there is more to the mural than just a portrait, as the artist explains:

This is a mural of Taylor Swift but not really about Taylor Swift, It was more an experiment to show where media’s priorities lie.

Using the metaphor of ‘The woman in the red dress’, the idea that ‘The System’ distracts the people with one hand (Hey look at this beautiful woman in the red dress), while it commits DESPICABLE ACTS against the people with the other hand.

In the past year I have painted well thought out and executed murals about Julian Assange, Covid origins/vaccines injuries and the Palestine/Israel conflict and despite serious attempts being made cannot not get any meaningful mainstream media coverage of those works.

I paint a mural of Taylor Swift (with Jeff Fenech’s nose🤣) and before its even finished my inbox is full of media requests, it has been syndicated and appearing in a dozen online outlets, in print, TV and radio….

So, that was the experiment and it really worked a treat!

Notice the reference to Swift’s current boyfriend Travis Kelce with the neckless she is wearing - No. 87 - Kelce’s jersey number for the Kansas City Chiefs.