Five local artists selected by City of Darwin to help transform, promote busy Smith St
Five local artists have been selected to help transform a key CBD street. Find out who they are and what they have planned. PHOTOS.
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Sticks in the sand.
From a young age that was all Larrakia woman Denise Quall needed to fall in love with art.
Now, she and four other local artists will have their own murals displayed in the heart of Darwin.
“It gives you almost a personal stamp here,” Ms Quall, the artist of proposed road mural Hermit Hustle, said.
“It gives me a sense of belonging and shows how I and the rest of the community feel.”
The five chosen artists were selected by the City of Darwin to help transform Smith St with works in the theme of ‘interconnection’.
A total of 29 local artists applied for the Streetscape project.
The selected artists – Ms Quall; Minna Leunig, creator of Humidity Rising; Lee Harrop, creator of the Foundation Stone; and Amina McConvell and Katy Moir, creators of Rest. Stop. – made the cut.
Selectors included Museum and Art Gallery NT senior curator Bryony Nainby, Outstation Gallery director Matt Ward, Charles Darwin University visual arts lecturer Sarah Pirrie, Garuwa Creative director and co-creator Genevieve Grieves, and independent artist CJ Fraser-Bell.
Construction is anticipated to commence soon with works expected to be completed by the end of July this year.
Ms Quall’s artwork, titled Hermit Hustle, shows several colourful hermit crabs crossing a busy Smith St.
She said the artwork represented more than just crabs – often seen at various beaches in Darwin.
“Hermit crabs travel together … they hustle and bustle,” she said.
“And the different colours represent the different cultures and people.
“So the mural represents us; I’ve been in Darwin for 70 years, it’s a part of me … this comes from the heart and hopefully puts a smile on people’s faces.”
Ms Harrop said it was a great opportunity.
“I wanted to highlight the foundations of Darwin, which is the earth beneath our feet,” she said.
“This is a no-brainer to me, it’s what connects us; we’re connected to the land, the streets, the memorials … it’s an amazing opportunity.”
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