Six Vicinity art projects you need to see right now

Vicinity is well-known for its leading portfolio of shopping centres but did you know it is also an advocate for art? 

Vicinity shopping centres across Australia have been displaying various artworks from over 30 years. Whether it’s community-focused pieces, large-scale sculptures, stunning murals or performance art, all have captured the imagination of millions of customers and communities and help Vicinity deliver property excellence. 

A keen advocate for featuring arts at Vicinity destinations, National Mixed Use Design Manager, Natalie Boston said the benefits of art extend beyond aesthetics. 

“In many locations, we have engaged with the community and traditional owners to help tell the story of the area in which the centre is located. Sometimes that’s resulted in works commissioned from indigenous artists and sometimes it’s delivered colourful murals, both the result of community engagement, giving locals a sense of ownership and belonging at their centre.

“We’ve also engaged with renowned artists in the past to display artworks in our centres, giving customers a new experience when they visit.”

In celebration of the many artworks on display at Vicinity destinations, we’ve picked out six of the best.

1. A story of community - Northland, Melbourne

Building community connections and recognising the rich history and culture in the Northland community, led the team in 2022 to pursue an indigenous art collaboration.

The project, which was delivered in 2023, was a community collaboration, with Wurundjeri Elders, Aunty Julieanne and Aunty Gail involved from the beginning, to understand the unique history and stories of the local area.

The result of the collaboration unveiled five artworks across the centre, produced by Wiradjuri artist Karen Lee Mungarrja and exploring themes of individuality, community, sustainability, hope, and understanding.

2. There’s beauty in a circular economy - QVB, Sydney

In 2022, emerging Sydney EWOL designer, Angela Lowe-Liddell worked with QVB to install a 17.6 metre high artwork in the centre’s iconic dome in celebration of the VIVID Sydney festival.

The artwork was made of 31 different materials that were either upcycled or hired to support the circular economy. Materials included fabrics, lights, mirror balls lasers and 4,500 Swarovski crystals that once decorated QVB’s famous Christmas Tree.

3. Colour and community - Castle Plaza, Adelaide

In South Australia, Castle Plaza partnered with City of Marion to create a community mural celebrating the past, present, and future of Edwardstown. The mural was created by local artist Sarah Casson, is 246m2 and took six weeks to complete.

Casson collaborated with Elizabeth Close, a contemporary Aboriginal Artist and Muralist from the APY Lands, in acknowledgement of the Kaurna Land on which the centre is located. 

Like tearing open a bag of mixed lollies, the design transformed the wall with bright, bold squiggles and colours of the Edwardstown brand colour palette in a contemporary and illustrative style. The design uses unusual textures, unexpected new forms, sprouting elements and spontaneous shapes to augment the feeling of growth and layers, referencing the innate potentiality of Edwardstown. The design includes a nod to the past retail industry and a celebration of its growth.

4. Many hands make light work - Warwick Grove, Perth

Warwick Grove in 2023, secured a partnership with Joondalup Festival 2023 to host a community art activation at the Perth centre.

Working with Joondalup Council & artist Sean Adamas, Warwick Grove brought Soaring: Field of Flight, a community art project that highlights resilience, positivity, and aspirations of the future, to the centre.

Shoppers were invited to participate in the community art mural by painting two sets of wings. Each pair of wings is unique, with intricately painted details and bold-coloured patterns adorning them, individually painted by hundreds of budding artists.

The completed wings went on display at Warwick Grove as part of a larger exhibition to showcase thirty sets of wings that will be on display within the Joondalup council area.

5. Iconic art from Australia’s best - Chadstone - The Fashion Capital, Melbourne

Chadstone has long displayed notable artworks from some of Australia and the world’s most renowned artists but arguably none more seen or recognised by Melburnians than Greg Johns’ Birth (Origin) sculpture.

Made of Corten steel and located in the centre gardens on major commuter highway, Dandenong Road, the sculpture was installed in 1999 and is passed by more than 60,000 vehicles each day.

Johns’ Birth sculpture takes cues from his early fractal works which reflects male and female unity and suggests that beneath what can be seen there may be an underlying pattern which points to everything being interconnected.

6. The fabric of a community for all to see - Elizabeth City Centre, Adelaide

Few businesses are so interwoven with their communities as GM Holden was in Elizabeth, South Australia. In celebration and acknowledgement of the closure of GM Holden’s manufacturing facilities in the town ,employees partnered with Playford Council and Elizabeth City Centre to create a mural for the northern side of the centre.

Spanning 40 metres, the mural is a collage of images of different stages of the Holden production line, wrapping in historical points and honouring the workers during its 54 years in operation.

The artist, Cam Scale was commissioned due to his family connection to the project – his parents and much of his family were former Holden factory workers – and the success of previous works including murals on the Kimba silos as in South Australia.