An initiative of Brisbane City Council

Artforce Brisbane
An initiative of Brisbane City Council

Dylan Bolger

Parrkula (Two – Pitta Pitta language)

Gladstone Rd & Dornoch Tce & Gloucester St, Highgate Hill QLD
This work expands on the themes of the mural at Musgrave Park. The box is located en route to the Park and the Macaranga leaf is growing throughout Brisbane. The goal would be to have a handful of these leaves around Brisbane as public works. The Macaranga is of old world genesis and is considered a re-coloniser or pioneer plant; meaning after devastation it will be one of the first plants to grow back and breathe new life into the space. The concept of the leaf is to represent my people and culture being of ‘old world genesis’ as we grow back through the devastation of colonialism. There is a need and importance to represent blakness in the built environment of so called ‘Australia’.
Box ID: B0458 (View Map Below)
Painted on: September 2022

Representing His People In The Built Environment

Dylan’s involvement in Artforce Brisbane came about when he painted his first mural with the help of the Murri School students, before later assisting them with their Artforce artwork ‘Sunrise/Sunset on Country’.

His own Artforce artwork is named ‘Parrkula (Two – Pitta Pitta language)’, which links to and continues the themes of the mural in Musgrave Park. Both artworks show the Macaranga leaf, which Dylan says, ‘represents my people and culture being of ‘old world genesis’ as we grow through the devastation of colonisation. There is a need and importance to represent blakness in the built environment of so-called ‘Australia’.’

The concept and overarching idea of the leaf were developed at a First Nations artist camp in 2021, and explored and expanded upon with the Murri School, in consultation with Elder Uncle Chegg.

Dylan was also a guest speaker at the 2022 Artforce Awards night, where he shared his experience as an artist and working with Artforce Brisbane with humour and passion.

Register your interest 
to paint a traffic signal box

TO BE ELIGIBLE

You must be a resident of Brisbane ie. living within the Brisbane City Council area.
You must not be an employee of Brisbane City Council.
You must not have painted more than two traffic signal boxes in a four year period and not in consecutive years.

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