A cherry picker carries a man across the street next to a wall surrounding an empty lot in central Johannesburg.

Rather than repairing power lines, he spraypaints portraits of four contemporary South African musicians on a canvas larger than a billboard.

Known as Dbongz, the artist is at the forefront of a growing movement that has embraced Johannesburg’s courage to create paintings that have helped bring the once-neglected city center back to life.

“In the past (the city) was boring, banal and dodgy at the same time,” says the 32-year-old.

“But because of the color, because of these vibrant murals that we paint, people see it as a place to go.”

What was once an artists’ pastime has increasingly become a business where real estate companies commission artworks to give their buildings a makeover.

In some neighborhoods, walls have been given a splash of color at every corner.

In the 1990s, downtown Johannesburg notoriously sank into a period of desolation and desolation.

Undermined by sanctions as early as the 1980s, the rise of democracy in 1994 was met with the flight of white businesses to high-walled suburbs.

Whole blocks remained empty. Hotels have just bricked up their doors without even bothering to auction off the contents.

In the early 2000s, real estate entrepreneurs returned and began experimenting.

City Property, a real estate company, bought several abandoned office towers to convert into affordable housing.

The company commissioned South African artist Hannelie Coetzee to revitalize an old tiled wall facing the street.

“Cities are cold, concrete, very grid-like places. Art brings a certain softness or thought-provoking moment that you might not expect,” she said.

“For me, that’s the magic of public art. It creates meaning through the voice of the artists, for a particular city.”

She created a 166 square meter portrait of a woman made from more than 2,000 plates, saucers and bowls.

The woman’s hairstyle was inspired by how South African women today are transforming traditional hairstyles into trendy new looks.

Developer Adam Levy gave a 10-story building to American artist Shepard Fairey, best known for his iconic “Hope” portrait of Barack Obama.

An exposed wall became a portrait of Nelson Mandela towering over the city.

Artistic enhancements serve as subliminal cues to visitors that someone cares about the neighborhood, Levy said.

“Now it’s so obvious that there’s a system behind the scenes that looks after what’s going on here. And I think people can open up in that space,” Levy said.

“They feel comfortable and safe. They feel well looked after and valued.”

Over the past decade, brands have entered the sector and commissioned murals for promotional purposes, said Marcel Swain, marketing director at Heineken South Africa, which recently hosted a street art competition.

Graffiti artists can be paid thousands of rand for a piece, he said.

Dbongz has become one of Johannesburg’s most well-known street performers.

His works have become a visual hallmark of the city and have inspired many others.

Dbongz’s latest mural was commissioned by Apple Music to feature singer Simphiwe Dana, folk guitarist Bongeziwe Mabandla, jazz musician Mandisi Dyantyis and piano sensation Nobuhle.

The musicians’ faces are painted in black and white, but their clothing and jewelry stand out in vivid colors against a light green background in patterns inspired by traditional textiles.

The artwork speaks to another series of portraits of deceased musicians he painted on massive concrete pillars that support a double-decker highway that runs through the Newtown cultural district.

Born in a township on the western outskirts, the artist is also known for his work in slums, sometimes painting neighborhood children on large walls.

“It makes people believe in themselves and see themselves in a bigger light, bigger than what’s happening in their lives,” he said.