Overview
Your winter art itinerary just got a little fuller, with regional Victoria's famed Silo Art Trail unveiling its latest creative addition — a large-scale work titled Yangga Dyata ('Walking on Country'), by photo realism artist Smug AKA Sam Bates.
Gracing a silo and flour mill in Horsham, the newcomer marks the 13th mural for the cultural attraction, which winds over 200 kilometres through the state's northwest to form Australia's largest outdoor gallery.
Commissioned by Horsham Rural City Council via international street art agency Juddy Roller, Smug's new work is a two-part celebration of historic Wotjobaluk warrior Yanggendyinanyuk. The tracker, cricketer and cultural icon is depicted in a colourful realist portrait wrapped across the silo, while the adjacent flour mill bears the likeness of Yanggendyinanyuk's totem, the black cockatoo.
The new addition is actually Smug's third work to feature in the Silo Art Trail — you'll spy the artist's painting of a flannel-clad farmer and his work dog on a concrete silo in Nullawil, and in Arkona, his tennis-themed tribute to local legend Roley Klinge.
First dreamt up back in 2016, evolving from a small community art project, the now famed Silo Art Trail features a growing lineup of mural portraits, painted by a collective of artists in conjunction with Juddy Roller. They aim to capture the spirit and history of this unique corner of the world, with each work offering a snapshot of its host town and residents.
If you're visiting the art trail from Melbourne, the first silo mural you'll hit is Julia Volchkova's artwork in Rupanyup, around 3.5 hours' drive from the CBD. Yangga Dyata sits about 30 minutes west of this.
Find 'Yangga Dyata' at 35 Wawunna Road, Horsham. For more details on the Silo Art Trail and to plan your visit, see the website.