Developer commissions art you can play basketball on
Renowned Indigenous street artist Reko Rennie has created a colourful artwork that doubles as a basketball court at a Melbourne development site.
Open to the public via free online bookings, Underpark, on the city’s Queen Street Bridge, was commissioned by developers Time & Place and Hickory.
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The Kamilaroi/Gummaroi/Gamilaraay artist, who is famous for mixing the iconography of his people with the bold colours of graffiti, said the piece is designed to stand out and invert the concept of camouflage.
“I’m very honoured to create an artwork for the Underpark basketball court on the traditional lands of the Boon Wurrung and Wurundjeri people,” Mr Rennie said.
“The bold and bright camouflage design I created celebrates our visible cultural identity – where in the past camouflage has been used to conceal, here it proudly reveals a strong and vibrant cultural history.”
The bright mix of colours symbolises the artist’s identity. Picture: Time & Place
The piece, which features a mix of shapes in bright blues, pinks and greens set against a black background includes the artist’s camouflage signature, but as a way to amplify his heritage.
“My use of camouflage aims to amplify, rather than conceal my identity, and to stake my claim to a luminous, commanding form of cultural visibility,” Mr Rennie told the National Gallery of Victoria in 2016.
The basketball court come installation artwork is temporarily available until construction is expected to begin at the site at 84-90 Queens Street in the middle of the year.
The artwork sits in an underutilised part of the city. Picture: Time & Place
The artwork is part of a push by the developers to bring this part of the city to life through the art and sporting cultures, which Melbourne is known for according to Time & Place director Tim Price.
“We also hope that the use of this space will open up a broader placemaking conversation with the City of Melbourne about the future use of the neighbouring Kings Way Undercroft, and we welcome the public to contribute to this discussion via our Underpark website,” he said.
Bookings can be made for one-hour slots from 6am-8pm daily.
