New public art for Inner West
Wednesday, 9 October 2019
The Inner West has a new Fintan Magee public artwork, thanks to Council’s Perfect Match Street Art program.
The new artwork, The Island, is on Addison Road, Marrickville. Council held a community celebration with the artists, neighbours and stakeholders on Wednesday, 9 October.
The Island is a unique collaboration between Fintan Magee and Settlement Services International (SSI)’s Ignite Small Business Start-ups initiative. The artwork highlights the talents and contributions of refugee communities culturally and economically to the Inner West.
In the mural, refugees Shohrat Tursun (musician) and Dilnigar Alim (dancer), surrounded by pieces of traditional dress, are pictured as if sitting on an island.
The work speaks of diaspora, dislocation and the eternal search for home.
Fintan Magee is known for his murals throughout Australia and the world and the Inner West has at least six examples.
Some of those are the result of Council’s Perfect Match Street Art Program, including the famous ‘Cowboy’ on a timberyard on Marrickville Road, and ‘Housing Bubble’ on Enmore Road.
Perfect Match brings together property owners who offer their walls as canvases to artists who have ideas for public art.
In this case, property owner Fotini Manikakis said she tired of having her “hi-vis wall barraged with tagging and graffiti bombing”.
She added that she was “feeling angry about the burgeoning wave of racial intolerance in Australia today. I was keen for the work to speak to Marrickville as a culturally diverse area with a strong migration history and spirit of inclusiveness.”
Fintan Magee mentored and was assisted by two younger refugees, artists Raneen Shamon and Emmanuel Asante, to create the work.
Young artist Emmanuel Asante arrived in Australia in 2015 from Ghana and started painting and drawing as a way to deal with depression.
“Art is my escape from reality,” Mr Asante said.
“I’m quite excited and looking forward to seeing new people and discussing these artworks and ideas.”
For more information on Perfect Match go to www.innerwest.nsw.gov.au/PerfectMatch.
For print quality images of the mural and today’s community celebration, contact the Communications team.
For media enquiries, contact Elizabeth Heath | Media and Communications Coordinator P: +61 2 9392 5334 | E: Elizabeth.Heath@innerwest.nsw.gov.au