As attendees of Australia’s largest Indigenous cultural event, the Garma Festival, walk by the bunggul (dance) grounds, artist Molly Hunt is busy transforming this year’s theme into a vivid and powerful mural. Molly Hunt Brings Garma Festival Theme to Life with Vibrant Mural
Hailing from the Balanggarra and Yolngu communities, Ms. Hunt is creating a piece that embodies the elements of “Fire, Strength, and Renewal.” Her artwork is a vibrant representation of these themes, featuring the colors of the Kimberley region in Western Australia, where she is from.
“The colors represent the Kimberley – the red, yellow, and the pink,” Ms. Hunt explained to AAP. “All the elements represent the theme: the fire, the strength of the black female, and the brolgas represent renewal.”
Ms. Hunt’s mural is more than just an artwork; it is a narrative of passion and resilience. “All these different elements encompass passion, strength, the fire burning for our fight for our country, for our mob. The brolgas dancing represent transformation and change, respect for land, and all the things we want to live a sustainable life on country,” she elaborated.
The mural has captivated festival-goers, with many stopping to admire the work and engage with Ms. Hunt as she paints. For her, this interaction is a cherished part of the process.
“Doing a mural is like therapy; I see it as a form of connection,” she said. “As I’m here painting, people come up to me, sit down, and have a yarn. Not only are we here painting, I’m able to connect and yarn with people from all pockets of the country.”
Ms. Hunt hopes that her work will inspire the many children and young people attending the festival at Gulkula in northeast Arnhem Land. “Hopefully, it plants a bit of a seed and inspires and empowers and says you can really do it if you want to do it,” she shared.
Molly Hunt’s mural stands as a vibrant testament to the themes of this year’s Garma Festival, encapsulating the essence of Fire, Strength, and Renewal, and inspiring all who witness her art in progress.
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Source: https://nit.com.au/05-08-2024/12892/fire-strength-renewal-comes-to-life-through-art
