Behind the art
Art is everywhere, whether it's a vibrant mural on a wall or an oil painting in a gallery. It can even be sculptures doubling as bike racks or shiny silver spheres in a mall. These are the stories of some of the people who've created street art here in SA.
Words: Jeremy Rochow
A connection to country
"I love being able to paint and honour people, to show how they've dedicated their whole lives to their own practice," says Ngarrindjeri, Kaurna and Arrernte artist Thomas Readett.
We're standing on East Terrace at Tandanya at Thomas' mural of well-known Indigenous actor David Gulpilil. The mural was commissioned by ABCG Film in collaboration with Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute. Thomas says he wanted to show David's journey from the start of his career to the end.
"The portrait on the left is from his first movie, and the landscape next to it is Yolngu Country, which is at the top end of the Northern Territory – that's where he's from," Thomas says.
"I've then used a horizon line to connect it to the Riverland on the other side, and the landscape on the right is Murray Bridge on Ngarrindjeri Country, which is my country and where David lived for the last part of his life.
"I think it's nice to think about the journey in terms of the Country, the scale of where [David] started and finished, and also the scale of his career."
Thomas has completed dozens of murals across South Australia, collaborating with communities to create art that reflects the local area. While painting, Thomas enjoys interacting with the public and discussing what the art means to him.
"I do a lot of lived experience stuff as well about mental health, and take inspiration from lots of different things."
Benches creating changes
The humble bench is a place to sit, relax and rest one's weary legs. It's even where you can sit and have a chat. But with a bit of paint, creativity and plenty of talent, they can become an object for change and awareness.
South Australian street artist Leah Grant has turned several benches across Adelaide into art to help promote respect, equality and safety for women in our community. The artwork was part of a project on the International Day of Elimination of Violence Against Women in 2022.
Leah partnered with women from Catherine House, a not-for-profit that provides crisis accommodation and support services to women experiencing homelessness. The project also involved students from Sturt Street Community School.
"I really loved this project because I had ladies from Catherine House talking and painting with me… it was really interesting and educational," Leah says.
"We talked to school kids about what symbol they'd like to put on the bench to show what love and safety means to them."
Five benches on Sturt Street were painted in various colours and included messages of hope and butterflies – the symbol for the day.
"I think we need to talk about [violence against women] more, but it's one of those things where we have to protect the privacy of these women, so their stories aren't always shared," Leah says.
"So how do we also raise awareness without jeopardising their safety?
"Having these benches in a public space shows the power of art. Even when we were installing them, people were stopping and asking questions, so that helps raise awareness."
The little mural town
In 2016, Kapunda, on the outer reaches of the Barossa Valley, had a problem. Like a lot of smaller regional towns across South Australia, many of the main street shopfronts were empty.
A group of concerned locals came together and formed the Kapunda Mural Town Project committee. They started to research how they could use art and murals to encourage visitors and increase business in Kapunda. Then, they started painting.
Kapunda Mural Town Project and Silo Art Committee Chairperson Maxine Donald says the murals depict the town.
"A lot of the art relates to the history of the town, because we have a very rich history in mining, particularly copper," Maxine says. "While most of it is historically based art, there are also decorative murals."
A mural on the local post office was the first to be painted and was nominated for the Australian Street Art Awards.
There are currently 14 pieces of art scattered around the town's main street, and visitors can use a map available from the local visitor centre to follow a Kapunda mural trail.
"A lot of visitors have started coming to look at the murals," Maxine says. "We've seen an influx of people coming up for the day from Adelaide because we're only an hour from the CBD.
"There aren't so many empty shops, and there's been an increase in development and housing, that's not just due to the murals but the art has improved morale in the town."
In 2024, the committee started its biggest project yet – painting the town's decommissioned silos.
A little more than a year later, the 30-metre-high silos were painted by renowned street artist Sam Bates, also known as Smug.
Depicting the town's copper mining history, the mural features a miner standing in a tunnel with a candle attached to his helmet.
Maxine says there was a huge response from the town.
"It was such a community effort, and because we kept the concept under wraps, people watched it evolve," Maxine says. "But once it was finished the response was positive and everyone was rapt."
Kapunda Mural Town Project committee members Anne Gonaus, Ian Hunter, Deane Rohrlach and Maxine Donald.
IMAGES: Jack Turner; RAA/Mike Lockheart.
