9/10/2020
Chilly art at Robinvale
Beautiful new works on MDAS walls
Culture and colour fuse together to create breathtaking artworks that are now on permanent display at the Mallee District Aboriginal Services (MDAS) office in Robinvale.
Created by Robinvale’s own Matty Chilly, an amazing depiction of the Murray River and cultural motifs stretches across the main walls of the reception area, while the front of the reception desk is a vibrant illustration of Ayres Rock, walking tracks, native plants and animals.
“The artwork on the wall represents our communities of Swan Hill, Robinvale, Mildura and the towns across our region by showing that there’s so many different parts that make up our culture and who we are,” explained Matty, who is an Alcohol and Other Drugs Support Worker at MDAS Robinvale.
“The illustration on the front of the desk was originally created for the NAIDOC 2020 art competition to show Ayres Rock as the centre of the country and our culture, and I’ve extended it to include walkways, tracks and our culture.”
Matt loves visual arts and dabbles in everything from digital illustrations to photography and videography. While he has enjoyed creating artworks his whole life, Matty has recently become a great advocate for designing artworks on his iPad Pro.
“Since I was a child, I just wanted to do more with my artwork and working on the iPad is really giving me that chance,” he said.
“Originally I was going to paint a piece on a canvas to hang on the wall here, but when I got the iPad I knew I could create something bigger and brighter for this area.”
Inspired by Instagram videos of other artists creating works using digital technology, Matty went to work focusing on creating artwork that would represent his own background, while also being something that others in the Robinvale community could identify with.
“I am just ecstatic that it [my artwork] is on display and I am glad it is part of MDAS so other people can see what MDAS offers – it’s not just our services, but the support MDAS has given me to extend myself in a cultural and artistic sense,” Matty said.
Matty is currently developing a website for his artistic creations and is considering featuring his cultural designs on a new line of clothing.
Until the website is launched, you can see Matty’s impressive artworks at the MDAS office at 77 Perrin Street, Robinvale.
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