THE ARTIST

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Jimmy Dvate is a renowned Melbourne-based contemporary artist, specialising in large-scale murals primarily in the public space. His formal training in graphic design and visual arts at Monash University manifests in a style that is a capturing blend of his impeccable sense of design and accurate eye for detail of photo realism.

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Dvate’s art beginnings can be traced back to 1997 in the graffiti and street art scene of which his name has become synonymous with. His devotion to his craft and dedication to creating has produced works that can be found all around Australia and the world.

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Dvate’s piece is a gift to the city of Darwin for inviting him to be a part of the festival, believing that every work should have a sense of place. His interest in the Gouldian finch is born out of the dichotomy of its population as wild animals and in captivity, with the wide assumption that they are numerous due to their popularity as pets but are in fact an endangered species in the wild due to changing fire practices and the aviary trapping trade (now illegal). 

 

THE ARTWORK

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This mural shows the three colour-variations of Gouldian found in the wild: Black-faced (which make up around 75% of all birds), red-faced (25%) and the extremely rare yellow-faced variation, who only occur in around 1 in 3,000 birds.