art in the historic heart
There is a diverse range of public art to enjoy in the Historic Heart – from Marcus Canning’s striking Ascalon at Cathedral Square to the beautiful large scale mural by Rone at Hibernian Place. Take the time to roam the streets of Perth's east end. The art of the Historic Heart is waiting to be discovered.
Our Art Walk is available on our Historic Heart of Perth Web App - free to download via link below.
The Art Walk on our App is interactive, but you can also explore Historic Heart’s art with the help of our website. Details below.
Mural by Lance Chadd
Mural on western wall of the Centrecare building.
Design by Lance Chadd (Tjllyungoo) and Trish Robinson- executed by Lance’s son, Virgil Chadd and Grandson, Malik Chadd with mentorship from technical team Mel McVee and Tash Alibegovic
Lance Chadd, a Bibbulmun Nyoongar/ Budimia Yamatji Aboriginal artist born in the southwest town of Bunbury, paints under his traditional tribal name ‘Tjyllyungoo’ meaning, Elder Man/Wisdom/Law, given to him by his Father, Norman Chadd, a well-known Drover of Yamatji Country. His name and breathtaking work are known, recognised and respected throughout South Western Australian and International art circles, South Western Aboriginal communities, art curators and researchers on SW Aboriginal Art and artists. He is known as one of the most senior and important Nyoongar artists alive.
Tjyllyungoo has painted professionally since 1981, and his works are in many collections worldwide and locally including the Art Gallery of Western Australia, Parliament House and the Berndt Museum Collection.
Tjyllyungoo is prolific in his mastery of depicting Australian landscapes, with constantly evolving work producing progressively more powerful collections, as he skilfully weaves the intangible Nyoongar spiritual beliefs and stories, through landforms. These exquisite expressions allow easy access for the viewer to search and find understanding of Nyoongar culture and how the land and spirit of the people are inseparable. His peoples take pride in and are inspired by his work, remembering and maintaining their identity, strength of spirit and sense of belonging in their homeland.
The ”Koorlangahs” mural expresses the following:
Culturally our Bibbulmun children are taught from an early age to care and have reverence for all of nature through the traditional worshipping lore of Boorongur. ‘Boorongur’, means ‘spiritual elder brother’ and ‘blood brother relation’.
Every species of food, animal and plant is the Boorongur (totem) of either a group or individual. Every circumstance of life and death has a ceremonial association with the Boorongur and gives our people their strong connection to place and sense of belonging.
Traditionally our Koolangars (children) were taught these totemic laws from earliest infancy and were told of the guardian spirit always watching over their Boorongur, so that they should not wantonly hurt or kill the young of their father’s Boorongur, for these were their own little ‘totem brothers and sisters’.
In this way the mentorship and teachings of this lore go broader and deeper than just valuing and caring for our human children, it instils a deeply held value of all species of children - plant and animal, which is what sustains our life – the nurturing the children of all species is essential for our longevity, they are our life - our future.
Commissioned by Historic Heart of Perth Inc.
Hibernian Place Muse (2018)
Artist Rone
480 Hay Street, Perth
Renowned street artist Rone has painted a women’s face on a wall within Hibernian Place - a new precinct in the Historic Heart which is now home to the Westin Hotel, and a range of bars, cafes and restaurants.
Geelong-born Rone is internationally renowned for his larger-than-life female muse paintings, often on a raw concrete canvas. He has painted throughout the US, Europe and Asia. “I am very happy with the end result,” Rone, 37, said. “The challenge for me as an artist is to create something beautiful from a raw, unfinished surface. I hope that’s what I achieved.”
Mural artworks in Pier Street Laneway (2018)
Artist Drew Straker 'the Muralist'
Pier Street laneway
One of 3 new artworks in the Pier Street laneway by Perth artist Drew Straker.
Straker's unique murals appear to light up streets like neon signs, but are actually 2D and created using only spray paint and a ‘neon glow’ technique (of white lines under a transparent colour).
For further details on the artist see Muralist's Instagram page
Historic Heart
Mural Artwork 1 (2017)
Artist Helen Smith
Pier Street, Perth
A non-referential geometric abstraction, Helen often explores bold conjunctions of colour and shape to enliven surfaces. The brilliant use of hot pink, brown, yellow and acqua in circular motifs creates a bold interplay with the square web of Jeremy Kirwan-Ward's work on the opposing walls on Pier Street.
For further details on the artist visit Helen Smith's website
Commissioned by Historic Heart of Perth Inc.
Historic Heart
Mural Artworks 2 & 3 (2017)
Artist Jeremy Kirwan-Ward
Pier Street, Perth
Jeremy has created an interwoven grid pattern which stems from the built environment in which these artworks are located, where there is a conjunction of facades and an opening to a laneway. The work is in keeping with Jeremy's longstanding interest in geometric and dimensional illusions and play on perception.
For further details on the artist visit Jeremy Kirwan-Ward's website
Commissioned by Historic Heart of Perth Inc.
Kangaroos on the Terrace (1997)
Artists Joan Walsh-Smith and Charles Smith
Cnr Barrack Street and St George’s Terrace, Perth
These seven bronze statues of life sized kangaroos are said to represent a mob of kangaroos who have been lazily feeding, but are then startled by the traffic and are about to take off and bounce away down the terrace.
This public artwork gives visitors a reason to pause, to consider the contrasting busyness of the city and the peacefulness of the Stirling Gardens, and how we like the kangaroos are caught in between.
Ascalon (2011)
Artists Marcus Canning and Christian de Vietri
1 Cathedral Avenue, Perth
Ascalon, the striking, billowing white sculpture that stands before St George’s Cathedral is an abstract interpretation of the legend of St George and the dragon. The sculpture depicts the triumph of good over evil, with the sculpture’s angled pole and white billow representing St George’s lance, cloak and steed, and its black base reminiscent of the defeated body of the dragon.
The name of the sculpture is taken from the name of St George’s lance in medieval romances – itself a derision of the city of Ashkelon in Israel – the sculpture is a fittingly commanding statement at the forecourt of the cathedral.
Visit the St Georges Cathedral website to find out more.
Point Zero
1 Cathedral Avenue, Perth
Point Zero is the marker from which all distances to and from Perth are measured, and represents the centre point and civic heart of the city. Situated on the south-east corner of the Old Treasury building on the corner of Cathedral Avenue and St Georges Terrace, the marker was chosen during the building’s life as the state’s first post office. An understated plaque marking the adoption was laid in 1975.
Dirty Deeds (2015)
Artists Marcus Canning and Tom Mùller
Petition Kitchen, Cathedral Square, Perth
This artwork illustrates where the two holding cells for the Police Court used to stand and the kind of people who spent time there. ‘A miserable little box,’ was how the cells were described by one commentator in the press at the time, ‘shocked at the smallness and want of ventilation and light’ by another. The footprint of the original cells can now be seen etched into the granite outside the restaurant, including the tiny windows and entry doors to the cells.
A perusal of the forty misdemeanours described in the artwork provides a colourful snapshot of the early days of the colony and developing city where a populace made up of convict and post-convict labour alongside abundant supplies of ‘sly-grog’ influenced much of the street behaviours of the day.
Visit the Cathedral Square website to find out more about this artwork.
Captain James Stirling (1979)
Artist Clement P Somers
City of Perth Library, 573 Hay Street Hay Street
This statue of Captain James Stirling was created in 1979 to celebrate Western Australia's 150th anniversary.
Sir James Stirling (28 January 1791 – 22 April 1865) was a British naval officer and colonial administrator. His enthusiasm and persistence persuaded the British Government to establish the Swan River Colony and he became the first Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Western Australia.
The Strike (1991)
Artist Greg James
Perth Mint, 310 Hay Street, East Perth
This sculpture depicts Arthur Bayley and William Ford, the two gold prospectors whose discovery 120 years ago at Fly Flat, Coolgardie, triggered the greatest gold rush in Western Australian history.
WA Artists
One of Historic Heart’s first projects was the installation planter boxes across Perth's east end in October 2017.
The planter boxes were a patina of what's West Australian - painted by West Australian artists and planted with West Australian native plants. The aim was to signify new energy and change in the neighbourhood. The painted surfaces of the planter boxes and benches act as street level visual activation.
Thank you to the State Government and the City of Perth for providing Historic Heart of Perth Inc with grants to make this and other projects possible. The grants were matched by local property and business owners, and Perth based companies.
Photographs by Dion Robeson.
