The mural to celebrate 25 years of Hepatitis ACT, unveiled on World Hepatitis Day, was a labour of love, according to Canberra artist Leigh D Walker.
“I really wanted to make something that was going to reflect the safe and nurturing space that the Hepatitis ACT centre provides for vulnerable members of the community,” Ms Walker said.
The design is based on abstract symbolism of resilience and nurturing, with spirals of colours resembling stained glass brightening the once-grey concrete walls of the facility.
One of the most prominent shapes resembles a sun rising over the ocean.
“To me, the ocean has mother-energy, in the way it holds and nurtures, while a sunrise is life-affirming and represents rebirth,” the artist said.
As an ode to the Canberra bush, eucalyptus branches stretch across the design – “another symbol of resilience,” Ms Walker said. “Eucalypts often grow under very difficult conditions.
Most of all, the artist wanted her creation to be restful and harmonious, drawing the warm, non-judgemental nature of the employees inside to the building’s exterior. “I wanted that for the people who access the facility, and the community that surrounds it.”
As her vision came together, Ms Walker noticed the colourful souls of those who accessed the facility.
“The clients who use the services were just so full of life,” she mused. “Living with hepatitis must be incredibly difficult, but those I met while working there seemed to be making the absolute best of it. People would stop to chat with me every day, some would even bring me cakes!
“They were just so embracing, and positive. I suspect the work done inside the building helps with that.”
Ms Walker laughed about the efforts she went to get the Hepatitis ACT mural just right. “I drew the design at home on photoshop, then my husband and I stood outside in the carpark with a projector to see how it would look. Then he got to hold it while I drew on the wall.”
The Canberra winter was also a challenge. “The rain was a terror. There was one day when I spent half an hour holding a blanket over the drying paint, as the rain was pouring down on top of me.”
Ms Walker was first inspired on a bushwalk to base the mural on resilience and hope. “I saw sunlight peeking through the branches of a twisted eucalyptus tree, and that’s where it all began.”
According to Executive Officer of Hepatitis ACT, Joshua Anlezark, the theme of resilience resonates with communities at risk of hepatitis who “face numerous social and structural barriers”.
“They often don’t see themselves as being able to access health services. What we try to promote here is a safe, non-judgemental environment where they can get the support they need,” Mr Anlezark said.
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