You’ve no doubt seen glimpses of the Silo Art Trail floating around your social feeds, or even on TV from time to time—so it really is about time you got yourself acquainted with this massive outdoor art gallery.
Video by Round 3 Creative
The Silo Art Trail is the largest outdoor art gallery in Australia, stretching more than 200km between the Victorian wheat belt towns of Brim, Lascelles, Patchewollock, Rosebery, Rupanyup, and Sheep Hills.
Brim was the first silo to be painted, back in 2015. Following this, the idea for the Silo Art Trail was conceived in 2016 as a small community project by the Brim Active Community Group.
Renowned street artists that have taken part in this massive project include Julia Volchkova, Guido van Helten, Fintan Magee, Matt Adnate, Kaff-eine, and Rone.
Here’s the rundown on each of the silos:
Brim
Painted by Guido van Helten, the Brim silo was the first to be painted on the Silo Art Trail.
The silos were built in 1939 and depict a multi-generational quartet of local female and male farmers.
By rendering the figures as both central and peripheral, present and absent, the work explores shifting notions of community identity at a time when rural populations face both immense economic pressure and the tangible consequences of climate change.
Van Helten was nominated for the Sir John Sulman prize at the Art Gallery of NSW for his work on the Brim silos.
Patchewollock
Completed in 2016 by artist Fintan Magee, the Patchewollock addition to the Silo Art Trail features local grain farmer, Nick ‘Noodle’ Hulland, who the artist met while staying at the local pub.
Completed in late 2016, the artist’s depiction of the famously reserved Hulland portrays an image of the archetypal Aussie farmer – faded blue “flanny” (flannelette shirt) and all. Hulland’s solemn expression, sun-bleached hair and squinting gaze speak to the harshness of the environment and the challenges of life in the Wimmera Mallee.
Sheep Hills
Produced by artist Adnate, the 1938-built Sheep Hills silo on the Silo Art Trail features depictions of Wergaia Elder, Uncle Ron Marks, and Wotjobaluk Elder, Aunty Regina Hood, alongside two young children, Savannah Marks and Curtly McDonald.
Adnate spent four weeks with the community in late 2016 to conceive and complete the mural. He says that he sought to shine a spotlight on the area’s young Indigenous people and highlight the strong ancestral connection that they share with their Elders.
Rupanyup
The Rupanyup silo on the Silo Art Trail was produced by Russian artist Julia Volchkova. The silos depict Rupanyup residents and local sporting team members, Ebony Baker and Jordan Weidemann in their game day kit.
Rendered onto a squat pair of conjoined Australian Grain Export steel grain silos, the delicately nuanced monochromatic work is typical of Volchkova’s realist portraiture style.
Lascelles
Produced by Melbourne artist Rone, the Lascelles mural on the Silo Art Trail features local farming couple Geoff and Merrilyn Horman, part of a family that has lived and farmed in the area for four generations.
In mid 2017 Rone worked for two weeks to transform the two 1939-built GrainCorp silos. He went to great lengths to paint in the silo’s existing raw concrete tones to produce a work that would integrate sensitively into its environment. Utilising this muted monochrome palette, he added water to his paint as a blending tool to produce a ghostly, transparent effect – a signature of his distinctive painting style.
Rosebery
The most recent addition to the Silo Art Trail, the Rosebery mural was painted by Kaff-eine.
The silo on the left captures the grit, tenacity and character of the region’s young female farmers, who regularly face drought, fires and other hardships living and working in the Mallee. In her work shirt, jeans and turned-down cowboy boots, the strong young female sheep farmer symbolises the future.
If you’re looking at heading up for a trip along the Silo Art Trail, head to their website siloarttrail.com which gives a good rundown of each of the silos as well as information in planning your trip.
Of course, if you’re looking for other awesome things to do around the states, head to our Travel section for a ton of other things you can do.
Image credit: supplied
