By Mikayla van Loon
Mooroolbark already has so much to offer with Hookey Park, a number of great cafes and the miniature railway, so making a trip is worthwhile enough but the added mural and street art is something to put on the list.
Since 2019 artworks on buildings, signal boxes and bench seats have been popping up across the Mooroolbark township.
The Mooroolbark Street Art Project came as a culmination of wanting to bring life to the township while supporting artists in upskilling.
“From my perspective, it was really about bringing some love to the town, rejuvenating spaces, but also creating jobs for our artists, bringing creativity and bringing that energy to the town as well,” Mooroolbark Traders member Yolande Pickett said.
Artists over the years have included Chalk Circle (Beverly Isaac and Di Isaac) and Carla Rose, Paul Sonsie, Joanne Everard, Vandal, Robert Michael Young, Farimah Eshraghi, Carla Gottgens and Wilani van Wyk-Smit.
Some of the more recent works have been collaborations, with Blender Studios artists Adrian Doyle, Su Pan Sa and Matt Hannah working with local youth and law enforcement – Lee, Kym, Jaiden, Jay, Zeden, Jack, Mia, Sage, Sac, Miley, Jayden, Damian, Chris and Karen.
Murrup Biik Public Art (Aunty Kim Wandin and Christine Joy) and Jimmy Dvate produced the mural featured at Mooroolbark Library called Yerrin Biik.
Dvate began transforming the building in November last year and came together over a few weeks.
“The building originally was all brick and it was then organised to be rendered to give it the smooth finish for me to paint on,” Dvate said.
“We also organised with them to do the angles [with brick] which also corresponds to some of the Indigenous pattern work that we’re working with in the background and it’s also a nice architectural feature that leaves some of the older brick so it shows the history of the building and the old and then the new with the mural.”
The monumental public artwork is titled “Yerrin Biik,” which means “Bush Country” in the Wurundjeri Woi-Wurrung language and it encapsulates Mooroolbark’s rich history while celebrating its local flora and fauna.
“I try to use threatened species where I can to raise a bit of education so everything on this wall is all threatened species apart from the wrens which have a spiritual connection to Aunty Kim.
“They’re all from this area. There’s the Kilsyth orchid and they’re all very locally based. You’ve got the Gang Gangs on the back there. So it’s trying to raise awareness and highlight to people what’s in their backyards.”
The newest instalment in the art project has focused on “the life and work and the legacy, if you like, of Edna Walling”, a key landscape garden design figure from Mooroolbark.
To tour the art, head to mooroolbark.vic.au/msa/ to find a map and more information about the project.
