A mural in celebration of Bran Nue Dae

BRAN NUE DAE is an important West Australian story and 30 years after its premiere, will return to the Regal Theatre for a limited season as part of Perth Festival. To celebrate this 30th anniversary West Australian Opera has collaborated with the City of Subiaco to commission a commemorative art mural that will ensure Bran Nue Dae’s legacy lives on long after the curtain closes. Designed by Perth-based artist Kambarni the mural pays homage to the first Aboriginal musical and will also pay tribute to Bran Nue Dae’s historical links with the City of Subiaco. Kam is a descendant from Nimunburr and Yawuru people of the Kimberley and the Ballardong Noongar people of Perth and he is familiar with the cultural significance of Bran Nue Dae and its timeless story of a young Indigenous man, Willie. Kambarni who was a Western Australian Young Person of the Year Award recipient in 2018 has combined some of Bran Nue Dae’s most prominent motifs and integrated key symbolic elements into the work including a Turtle, Dingo and Red-Winged Parrot representing the individual and the collective journey, a major theme in Bran Nue Dae. City of Subiaco Mayor, Penny Taylor said Kambarni’s vibrant mural would come to life in Subiaco and marked a milestone for this incredible Indigenous work. “Bran Nue Dae is such an important story for all Australians, in particular West Australians. This mural will be a reminder of how important sharing and celebrating local stories, heritage, culture and the arts is to Subiaco,” says Mayor Taylor. Carolyn Chard, Executive Director of West Australian Opera, said ‘it’s wonderful to be able to have a legacy of this work and we are grateful to the City of Subiaco for supporting this mural. Kam is an outstanding young artist who has paid great attention to detail and you can watch him work on site in the lead up to completion later in February.” The Bran Nue Dae mural will be installed on the corner of Roberts Road and Rokeby Road in February.