Darwin Street Art Festival Transforms Travelodge Resort Darwin

In a tribute to the Larrakia mob, Australian Artist ADNATE
 has transformed the exterior wall of Travelodge Resort
Darwin into works of art during the Darwin Street Art Festival.
Image Credit: 'Charlie Bliss for Darwin Street Art Festival'.

Australian artist, Adnate, has forged a mighty reputation painting large-scale portraits at home and abroad. This year, as part of the Darwin Street Art Festival (DSAF), he has turned his skills towards transforming the exterior wall of Travelodge Resort Darwin into a five-storey outdoor art gallery.

This year’s street art festival saw 30 artists participate and 20 colourful new murals emerge across Darwin. Travelodge Resort Darwin was the only hotel to participate in the festival this year, with Adnate wielding his roller and artistic eye with great effect to pay tribute to local Larrakia mob.

DSAF Director, David Collins, said he was proud to have local artists - including Adnate who had a reputation for using portraiture to convey the depth and beauty of the human spirit - make up over half of the line-up for 2023.

“The children featured in Travelodge mural are both from the Fejo family - they are Larrakia people and are the Traditional Owners of Garramilla (Darwin), which sits upon Larrakia Land,” he said. “Both Adnate and the team from Darwin Street Art Festival consulted with the Fejo Family and their Elders prior to this mural commencing and received their blessing and permission to use images of their young people (Jacie and Kacia King).”

“These children are the emerging generation of Larrakia people and represent their future,” he said. “And our artist has done an incredible job of capturing this.”

Adnate completed the Travelodge mural in less than 6 days which is no mean feat when you consider the average daily maximum temperature was 33.7 °C and humidity levels were over 90% on some days.

Travelodge Resort General Manager, Lucy Ockleston, said the powerful portraiture cut a striking feature in downtown Darwin with Adnate following in the footsteps of New Zealand-born artist, Pennyrose Wiggins (who painted a tribute to Darwin’s famous Wet Season on the hotel walls) and muralist, Lisa King (whose two-storey high portrait of Larrakia Woman, Artist, and Activist, Mililma May adorns the walls of the Travelodge at the busy Cavenagh and Lindsay Street intersection).

“We are humbled to participate in the Darwin Street Art Festival for a second consecutive year and are thrilled to have an artist of Adnate’s calibre transform our hotel’s exterior into such a beautiful mural,” she said.

“The end result is striking with the red, yellow, and black background symbolising the Aboriginal flag and the children representing the future of the Larrakia people.”

Travelodge’s two DSAF artworks and the Adina-Vibe painting form part of Darwin’s CBD self-guided Street Art Tourist Trail which can be accessed by downloading the DSAF app. The Adina-Vibe artwork is best viewed from the pedestrian Sky Bridge leading to the Darwin Waterfront precinct and from street level whilst the newest Travelodge mural is in Woods Street overlooking Frog Hollow Park.

For more information on the Darwin Street Art Festival visit: https://www.darwinstreetartfestival.com.au/

*The Travelodge Resort Darwin and Adina-Vibe Darwin Waterfront proudly operate on Larrakia lands. Adina-Vibe Darwin Waterfront is a joint venture between Indigenous Business Australia and TOGA Group.
* TFE Hotels https://www.tfehotels.com/

* Jodi Clark at jclark@tfehotels.com