Flood By Finton Magee - author's photo
Next time you visit The Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA), take some extra time to wander along Montague Road for five minutes and you will come across these amazing murals. The Pillars Street Art Gallery is located on the corner of Merivale Street and occupies ten concrete railway pillars that make the perfect "canvas".
South Brisbane Railway Underpass
The Pillars is a
G20 Cultural Initiative, created in collaboration with local graffiti and indigenous artists. Ironically, the first mural by Finton Magee, is a replica of another mural which he was forced to take down earlier this year (Brisbane City Council claimed it was graffiti). Now his commemorative mural stands as a symbol of hope, proudly reminding Brisbane visitors of the 2011 floods.
Peel Street Underpass
Libby Harward and Warrawa Weatherall have created a powerful indigenous mural which can be found on the Peel Street underpass. It depicts strength in the face of adversity and is homage to the elders that have fought for indigenous rights. Guido van Helton has painted the face of a young indigenous man, and Gimiks Born (aka JB) took six days to paint his beautiful Mother Earth figure, who is the spirit of future hope. Gus Eagleton's work is about relationships in the city, featuring a dreamy figure and flying Hummingbirds.
Gus Eagleton - author's photo
Gimiks Born - author's photo
Each pillar at the South Brisbane Underpass stands seven metres tall and covers sixty square metres of space, so the artists had to use ladders, cherry pickers and very long rollers to reach the top of their "canvas". I was suitably impressed. It is definitely worth seeing the outdoor art gallery and appreciating the work that has gone into making a mundane inner city underpass into a colorful area of hope and inspiration.
The transformed underpass
Peel Street Underpass
