Darwin Street Art Festival: Territory teams up with Tangi Street Art Festival for cultural exchange

The overseas team has joined Darwin’s street art takeover, with one visitor hinting the massive mural will have a distinct Darwin-Balinese flavour. See for details.

Pansaka, Dwymabim, and Zolalongor Balinese artists are bringing an overseas touch to the streets of Darwin. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Balinese artists are bringing an overseas touch to the streets of Darwin, with a massive mural painting underway in the CBD.

This month, the Darwin Street Art Festival teamed up with the Bali-based Tangi Street Art Festival to provide cultural exchange experiences between the tropical locations.

The collaboration is an extension of a tight partnership between the Darwin Community Arts and Bali-based cultural producer and researcher Ika Yulian.

To inject Balinese art into Darwin, huge Austin Lane wall was provided to the small team of visitors, which Balinese artist Pansaka hailed as “a great” opportunity.

“We want to introduce Balinese culture with a new way of street art,” he said.

“I want people to enjoy the colour and tropical combination.”

The visiting artists have been working on the mural for days. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Pansaka revealed an iconic Top End creature would be given a Balinese spin.

“We’ve also done a Balinese style crocodile.”

With up to five days’ work to complete the masterpiece, cultural producer and researcher Ika Yuliana said the exchange would connect Australia’s north with the popular, tiny island.

“This will start the bridge between the community of Darwin and the community in Bali,” she said.

“Hopefully it gives people a new perspective about what people see in both places.”

David Collins and Ika Yuliana overseeing the masterpiece’s progress. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

With overseas visitors unable to contribute during the COVID-19 era, local art legend David Collins welcomed the exchange and said he hoped the collaboration would persevere into the future.

“If I have it my way, we will be getting Darwin artists over to Bali and Balinese artists to Darwin,” he said.

“In the past we’ve worked with artists from right across South East Asia, and this mural celebrates that Balinese street culture.”

The latest contribution to Austin Lane follows a string of artistic announcements in the Top End, with the Dry Season packed with creative events in the coming months.

For locals interested to learn more about the Balinese artists, the Tangi team confirmed they would give a free talk to locals, in which experiences, inspirations and challenges related to Balinese street art scene would be shared.

The talk will be at Bustard Town at 5.30pm on Wednesday, June 5.