First Nations artist Lisa Waup has completed one of the largest pieces of public art in the City of Yarra at a new apartment building in Fitzroy North.
The artist painted the 22-metre high mural on two sides of the new Fitzroy and Co Building with a striking monochromatic artwork so large it’s visible in neighbouring suburbs in Melbourne’s inner-northeast.
The painting takes up 376 square metres on the side of a 14-story building.
“It’s a place where we’re seen,” Ms Waup says.
“For First Nations people I think it’s really important for us to have these markers especially around the cities that we can really vanish into.
“We can have these markers that will evoke conversation, will evoke connection to the story of that piece. I hope that it does evoke questions – what it’s about and who is this?”
Going to nearby significant sites was crucial for her creating the work.
“For me it was about getting close to that space,” she says.
“You’ve got the beautiful Merri Creek that holds around it, so for me it was about getting down to the creek listening to the sounds that were a part of that space and then it really informed me about what sort of direction I was going to go towards.
“I was amazed being down at the creek – the sounds just vanished. It’s like you’re right in the middle or just outside of the city, there’s a lot of sounds there, a lot of trains that go past that space. But once you go down to the creek that just disappears.
“For me it was really thinking about the people who would be in that space as well. A convergence of different people from places and communities and the place they then call home would be a mixture of all of these different countries and backgrounds.”
She says she’s already had overwhelmingly positive reactions from people who have noticed the mural.
“It’s around 22-metres high. It’s pretty big,” she says. “And that started as an A4 drawing so to see something so small and intimate and then it blows up to that massive scale was really exciting to be part of as well.”
Feature image: Lisa Waup (Image supplied)
