MURAL PROJECT 2023/24

With a career spanning back to the late 1990s, byrd (Dan Malignity) has left indelible traces across the city of Kamberri/Canberra. His work generally belongs to the realm of environmental protest art, and his portfolio boasts a plethora of mural commissions, ranging from local projects to national and international endeavours. Notable commissions include those for the City of Sydney, the National Gallery of Australia, the National Portrait Gallery, and the National Museum of Australia. In addition to his commissioned murals, byrd makes commercial and experimental works for gallery exhibitions and is represented by Nancy Sever Gallery.

For the 2023/2024 Mural Project byrd employed a blend of transparent and textured layers, intricate patterning, bold lines, vivid colours, and carefully designed repetitions to create a dynamic work that invited repeat viewing and aimed to expand the public’s capacity for complexity. The mural, painted on the facade of Platform (then known as CCAS Manuka) was completed in December 2023, and served as a bold introduction to the experimental and speculative art showcased at the gallery.

The Platform Mural Project, launched in 2023, is an annual initiative that publicly profiles a bold new work by a local contemporary artist, and helps attract more visitors to discover the work of all artists showing at Platform, while enlivening the public streetscape. The commissioned artwork adorns the 6m x 1.5m recessed area on the façade of the building for one year. As a site of innovation and growth, Platform showcases ambitious projects by predominantly early career artists, prioritising experimental and Kamberri/Canberra-based practice.

The 2023/2024 Mural Project was made possible thanks to the generosity of 40 donors.

Image above:
byrd (Dan Maginnity) Aber Doch 2023, enamel and acrylic, photo by Hilary Wardhaugh

Image below:
byrd (Dan Maginnity) Aber Doch (installation photo) 2023, enamel and acrylic, photo by Alexander Boynes