Burruguu Art: Headspace Mural Unveiled
“It’s great to have kids involved in community art, especially Aboriginal art”
Nhunggabarra artist Sandon Gibbs O'Neill has been keeping himself incredibly busy across the State recently, bringing his visionary art to life for many different commissioners.
“I grow up thinking I was going to be an NRL superstar, playing footy all my life, and I didn’t think about doing art at all when I was growing up. It wasn’t until I went to university, when I dove-deep into learning my own culture,” he says proudly.
Sandon’s artistry has taken him from coastal to inland venues, and now, his work has drawn him back to his hometown of Orange.
The unveiling of Sandon’s latest mural ‘Supportive Community’ for Headspace Orange, encapsulates the importance of having support from family, friends, and a community through the challenges of mental health that is reflected throughout the mural.
With the assistance of local school students, Sandon completed the mural over a nine-day period on a south-facing wall. He admits, laughing, “It wasn’t the warmest wall to work on through the winter weather, that’s for sure.
“I can say it’s the biggest mural I have ever done, and if it weren’t for the help of the kids, I would still be working on it now.
“It’s so important to have the kids involved in community art, especially Aboriginal art. Getting them to recognise culture through art as a way of expressing themselves is very important.
“If we get more small projects like this going with kids involved, I think it will allow the next generation to learn and continue contributing to culture,” Sandon says.
The mural’s complex structure of interconnecting patterns and shapes telling a story about a person’s journey struggling with mental health. It demonstrates in concise terms, when support and guidance are given on a person’s own path during hardship, they can return from the brink to a healthier, stable mindset.
Featured throughout the mural are three rivers, weaving and flowing across the wall. This represents paying respect to the traditional custodians of the land where Headspace Orange is situated, the Wiradjuri people. The meaning of Wiradjuri is the people of the three rivers, the Wambool (Macquarie), Kalari (Lachlan), and the Murrumbidgee.
Sandon explains the significance of having the rivers included in the mural, “It shows that we are moving forward and taking those steps in acknowledging the First Nations people. We walk on Aboriginal land every day and it’s good to be paying respects to Aboriginal people in this way.
“I’ve spent 26 years of my life here and I’ve never seen Aboriginal art across a public wall like this. It’s great to see Orange taking those steps forward in supporting Aboriginal art,” Sandon says.