Melbourne

The Art

The goal of this striking black and white mural is to inspire viewers to consider Indigenous history and understand the context in which they live, opening up our minds to the other cultures and histories.

Another huge takeaway of this mural is to break down the stereotype that all Indigenous people live in remote communities, where the reality is that about 80% live in regional areas or in cities, opening up a dialogue about young Indigenous urban identity.

“Elders are some of the most important members of our community,” explains Aretha, “because they hand down language and tradition and culture and history.” Aretha believes that environmentalism and Indigenous rights go hand-in-hand, and that some of the most valuable information from elders is looking at Indigenous histories to explain sustainable methods. This mural is a call to look after the land we rely on and only taking what we need, a lesson and philosophy that could do so much for today’s environmental and social issues”.