KING ST X RHYIA DANK
Lendlease recently commissioned well-known contemporary Aboriginal artist Ryhia Dank to create public artworks for King St and the Brisbane Showgrounds precinct. Ryhia’s artwork Among the Reeds draws on the special character and deep cultural significance of the site, while reflecting the place that Brisbane Showgrounds holds in the broader cultural landscape of Bowen Hills / Meanjin. The work is featured through gobo light projections outside Il Verde restaurant and complimented by a layered window display installation on Machinery Street, together forming a connected visual story of Country and community.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Ryhia Dank is a contemporary Aboriginal artist from the Barkly Tablelands in the Northern Territory, now living and working on Gubbi Gubbi Country on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland. Ryhia continues her ancestors’ storytelling traditions through pattern and design. She calls her practice Nardurna, meaning woman in her language — a contemporary expression of cultural storytelling that connects past and present.
Among the Reeds is a reflection of Meanjin, a place that has long been a meeting point, a place of movement, trade, gathering, and care. The eel within Country, its shape moving gently across the surface, is steady and present, not in a rush. The tidal river flows beneath it, with bunya pine nuts anchoring the landscape. Wallabies and native plants are placed throughout, signs of life, of what’s growing, of what’s always been there. Informed by discussions with Aunty Kathryn, the bunya pine and the eel were chosen by the artist as important elements in the piece, acknowledging their strong connection to the stories of this place. These motifs are woven into the composition to honour the stories and knowledge held within the site, while also offering a contemporary expression of connection to Country.
COLOURS
The colour palette draws on a mix of bright and pastel tones to reflect both the vibrancy and layered history of the Brisbane Showgrounds area. The brighter colours speak to energy, community gatherings, and ongoing life in the precinct, while the softer pastels create a sense of openness, movement, and reflection, like the changing light across the day. Together, they create a balance that feels grounded in place but full of life, echoing the layered connections between people and Country.
WINDOW DISPLAY
This window display was created as a visual extension of the artwork Among the Reeds, designed specifically for the Brisbane Showgrounds precinct as a reflection of the place that the site has in the broader cultural landscape of Bowen Hills / Meanjin. An engaging interpretation of the site’s rich history and cultural heritage, it is a layered installation that brings together digital artwork, natural elements, and physical components to tell a story of connection to place.
Designed to create a calm, thoughtful, and vibrant experience for anyone walking by, the layout includes a combination of glass vinyl, backdrop vinyls, natural forms, and dimensional pieces that interact with the space and change depending on how people move past it.