Local artists bring community-led art to the new Footscray Hospital

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – Melbourne artists Olana Janfa, Jarra Karalinar Steel and Nick Athanasiou have been appointed to create artworks for the new Footscray Hospital precinct.

To inform his work, the Ethiopian-born Janfa will lead a series of creative workshops with community members, hospital staff and volunteers, and local schools to create 80 original works titled Heal and Thrive, based on the themes of hope, strength and family.

Janfa said, “When I first arrived in Australia, Footscray welcomed me with warmth, kindness and a sense of belonging that made me feel at home. The area’s history of many waves of migration have created a unique space for cultural exchange, storytelling and belonging.

“Melbourne’s west helps many immigrants navigate the complexities of settling in a new place. The sense of connection I have found here over the years is something I strive to replicate in my works, so that patients, visitors and staff of the new Footscray Hospital feel just as welcomed and valued as I did when I arrived in Footscray.”

Seen in murals and public art across the city, Janfa’s signature style is characterised by bright colours, layered textures, and a sense of joyful naivete, which is set to bring warmth, calmness and positive distraction to the hospital environment.

Boonwurrung artist Steel’s visual arts concept, titled Time of Renewal, will be installed on the hospital’s pedestrian footbridge as well as in the ground-level foyer of the Victoria University building that forms part of the Footscray Hospital precinct.

Steel said, “As someone who spent a lot of time visiting Footscray as a child, surrounded by family, friends, and the vibrant mix of cultures that defines the area, working on the new Footscray Hospital project is deeply personal for me.

“My parents always made sure we were introduced to diverse communities and their foods when we visit and that always holds an important place in my heart. It feels right to now contribute my cultural identity and artistic vision as a Boonwurrung woman, to a project that will serve the community I’ve known my whole life, and where my ancestors have long had tens of thousands of years connection to.”

‘Journey to Footscray’ by Athanasiou celebrates stories of migration to Melbourne’s western suburbs and will feature at the hospital’s main entrance. The commission will welcome visitors by facilitating a sense of arrival in place by connecting them with the historical and social narrative that underpins migration.

Plenary Health New Footscray Hospital Project Chair Kelvyn Lavelle said, “Plenary’s partnership with Footscray Community Arts aims to strengthen the new hospital’s connection with community and create a positive environment for all users of the precinct.

“We look forward to seeing these three artists’ works develop as the next exciting phase of this brilliant art partnership.”

Footscray Community Arts Artistic Director and CEO Daniel Santangeli said, “As we celebrate 50 years of Footscray Community Arts, our role as arts partner for the new Footscray Hospital allows us to deepen connection with the local community. Olana’s, Jarra’s and Nick’s works are one of many at the hospital that will support it being a welcoming and inclusive environment.”

The commissions are part of a unique series of artworks across the New Footscray Hospital Project and follows the 2022 appointment of Footscray Community Arts as the official arts partner of the Plenary Group-led Plenary Health consortium delivering the project.

These works will complement a 10-metre tapestry – currently being woven by the Australian Tapestry Workshop – displayed in the hospital’s main entrance, designed by Maree Clarke (Yorta Yorta/Wamba Wamba/Mutti Mutti/Boonwurrung) and Mitch Mahoney (Boonwurrung/Barkindji). 

Public art is a core part of the hospital’s overall design approach to help deliver an improvement in health and wellness.

The integrated artworks within the hospital will be calming, restorative and immersive, playing an important role in providing hospital users with a sense of cultural safety. The works are also intended to optimise health outcomes by providing positive distraction and a connection to nature.

The $1.5 billion new Footscray Hospital is scheduled to be completed by late 2025.