Celebrating Aboriginal art in Hobart’s public spaces

Published on 04 December 2025

The City of Hobart is proud to showcase two new public art projects that honour Aboriginal culture and creativity as part of its commitment to vibrant, inclusive public spaces.

Both projects are part of the City’s Creative Hobart program, which aims to make creative experiences accessible to all by bringing art into public spaces.

InsideOUT – Nicola Ingram

The latest installation in Creative Hobart’s InsideOUT program is now on display on either side of the Elizabeth Street Mall. The work has been created by Nicola Ingram, a Palawa and Wiradjuri artist and emerging playwright based in Hobart. Nicola’s art draws on her culture and lived experience, weaving together reflections on the past and visions for the future with a contemporary and witty approach.

Her installation reimagines a Christmas window display through her family’s perspective, featuring a striking, oversized basket woven from bright pink material sourced from local op-shops.

Large-scale Mural - Brandi Salmon

From 6 December, work will begin on a large-scale mural on the traffic-facing side of Murray House at 73–81 Murray Street. The mural has been designed by local Wiradjuri and Tongan artist Brandi Salmon, who has collaborated with Palawa Elders and knowledge holders to create an intergenerational portrait of Palawa women.

The artwork acknowledges their cultural connection to ancestral waterways and depicts Palawa women, some proudly wearing traditional skins, shells and ochre alongside hands weaving a basket of river reed. The women featured include Palawa Elders and knowledge holders Aunty Cheryl Mundy trimanya, Theresa Sainty, Sinsa Mansell, Sinsa’s daughter Niara and Theresa’s granddaughter Pyper. Brandi has also mentored emerging artist Phoebe Diggle throughout the process.

Quotes to be attributed to Hobart Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds:

“Public art is a powerful way to tell stories and share culture in the heart of our city.

“These works honour the deep cultural significance of Aboriginal heritage and provide opportunities for our community to engage with art that is meaningful, contemporary and inclusive.

“We are proud to support artists like Nicola and Brandi, whose creativity brings our public spaces to life and ensures Hobart remains a city that values and celebrates diversity.”

Quotes to be attributed to artist Nicola Ingram:

“When I’m weaving, I often think about my Elders and Ancestors, their innovation and commitment to cultural practices.

“For me, weaving is about resilience and resistance, a practice of connection, wellbeing and necessity. This practice, inherited from our Ancestors will continue to change over time, remaining just as culturally significant as it has always been.

“This work celebrates what Christmas means to me and my family, what it means to be a Blakfulla on a hot Christmas Day.

“I have many memories of Christmas (or Blakmas as some of us like to call it) surrounded by family joy and end of year celebration, passing out on the couch after a big feed, hanging up the puddings on the hills hoist and being so full of food and love that you forget what day it is.

“I think we have all secretly dreamt of creating our own Christmas window display, so here is my take on it!”

Quotes to be attributed to artist Brandi Salmon:

“Beneath the streets of Nipaluna, a rivulet still runs paved over but never gone. This hidden waterway speaks to what sits beneath the surface of this city: ongoing Culture, deep histories and the enduring presence of Palawa women.

“This mural honours Palawa women. Across generations, they carry leadership, strength and cultural knowledge. Their presence in the work celebrates the central role of Palawa women in story, resistance, care and community.

“Weaving sits beneath the women, referencing the ancient practices of Aboriginal women. As women’s business, weaving speaks to kinship, knowledge-sharing and the passing of story through hands and time. It grounds the mural in women’s work and women’s strength.

“The aurora above the figures draws from the night skies of Lutruwita, bringing movement, the relationality of County and culture, and colour. It anchors the piece in place and reflects the ongoing power of Palawa women today.

“At its heart, this mural centres on women, it is made by women, challenges misrepresentation and asserts the authority of self-representation, past, present and continuing. Always was, Always will be, Aboriginal land.”