Renowned Australian street artist Matt Adnate was back in Shepparton (Victoria, Australia) to complete part 2 of the Shepparton Aboriginal Street Art Project depicting iconic Yorta Yorta women Aunty Margaret Tucker and Nanny Nora Charles who made their marks in the form of activism, government and midwifery. The first part of the project that was completed in 2017 featured William Cooper and Sir Douglas Nicholls which were both instrumental in campaigns for aboriginal rights.
About The Mural
Known for his giant murals of realistic portraits of Aboriginal people across the world to draw attention to Indigenous issues, Matt Adnate took on the second part of the project, completing it in four days. These works were commissioned and curated by the Greater Shepparton City Council in partnership with Rumbalara Co-Op and Yorta Yorta Nation Aboriginal Corporation.
It is worth noting that Nanny Nora Charles was one of the earliest and best known local Aboriginal midwives. She was renowned throughout the region for travelling up and down the Murray River to camps and missions to assist in the delivery of babies at a time when Aboriginal women were not permitted access to hospitals or medical professionals. Nanny Nora Charles participated in the Cummeragunja walk-off and lived on ‘The Flats’ on the Goulburn River located between Mooroopna and Shepparton where she continued to deliver babies as a midwife. She would later become a resident within the town of Shepparton where she continued to support the local Aboriginal community. She died at the age of 89.
Aunty Margaret Tucker was one of Australia’s first female Aboriginal rights activists and was highly active from the early 1930’s within the Australian Aborigines League (which she was involved in establishing) as well as holding many positions in different representative bodies and Government advisory groups throughout her life. Aunty Margaret, also known as Aunty Marge, spent much of her childhood at the Cummeragunja and Moonacullah Missions however was later taken away against her mother’s wishes and it wouldn’t be until years later that Aunty Marge would reunite with her family. Aunty Marge worked alongside various Yorta Yorta representatives include William Cooper, Sir Douglas Nicholls, Bill and Eric Onus and also her younger sister Geraldine Briggs to advocate for the rights of Aboriginal people. Aunty Marge Tucker is currently on the Aboriginal Honour Roll and is admired by the local Aboriginal community for her continued efforts in supporting and advocating for her people. Aunty Marge spent her last years in a nursing home in Shepparton and died in 1996.
About The Artist
Adnate is an artist that realizes his portraits in spray paint. He has moved past his roots in Street Art, utilizing the medium to carry his realist style into the fine art realm. Heavily influenced by the chiaroscuro of renaissance painters like Caravaggio, Adnate embraces portraiture like the masters of the XXI Century. Adnate has always held a connection towards indigenous people of their native land, especially with Indigenous Australians. He paints large scale murals in the main cities around Australia and the world, creating a statement of reclaiming the land that was always theirs. He endeavours to capture the stories and emotions of each subject he paints, encouraging the audience to feel through their own experience.
Images by Greater Shepparton City Council
