Local artist profile: Troy Firebrace

THIS week we chat with indigenous artist Troy Firebrace.

Can you describe your artistic style?

My artistic style is very much contemporary Aboriginal art. The foundation of my style is very much grounded in my culture. I live and breathe as an Aboriginal man, so my way of living and being with Country sways on my art practice, especially around exploring concepts using modern materials. My style is usually bright and vibrant but still has the grounding of culture. In ways I’m looking to push beyond the traditional and explore how to represent my culture in a state that’s unique.

Is it hard to make ends meet purely from your artworks?

I’m fortunate to have established a strong art base to allow a steady income, though this was years in the making before it became stable. It pays to have a day job so you can really invest in your practice without hesitation, so I happily work within Catholic Education Sandhurst as the Aboriginal Education Officer during the day and as an artist at night.

It was and still is a long road, but because this is my passion and I love what I do, the journey is always worth it.

A lot of your work seems to feature organic shapes and motifs. How did that come about?

The shapes and patterns come from traditional mark making, using signs and symbols to tell stories. Through this concept I develop new, or redesign existing symbols to construct my artworks and dive deeper into colour, forms and shapes to have a deliberate meaning.

Which artists inspire you?

The artists that inspire me are the community artists living and working in regional Victoria. I have been fortunate to work with and meet artists through my career and each one has their own unique way of creating. It is so important to me to develop these connections, as this art community gives me that extra boost to progress further and keep evolving as an artist.

What have you been working on lately?

Lately I’ve been working on Djaara Lights here in Bendigo, which was launched a couple weeks ago, using light, graphic printing and augmented reality as part of the art experience. This has been fantastic to expand beyond the canvas and engage with local organisations and professionals to help develop this project.

What are some highlights you have from your career?

Some of the best moments have been working in the community on some walls in the public space, and just taking the time to talk with the community about what I’m doing and what it all means to me, but also hearing what it means to them.

How has your art practice been affected by COVID?

There have been moments where COVID has impacted my work. The most affected is dates and being onsite to paint walls, make delivery or do art workshops with schools. Human interaction is something that I thrive off in my work, so it was sorely missed and made it tougher to ensure work was done within a timeframe.

This created a knock-on effect where the workload would condense and I would find myself doing long nights trying to get on top of things, so I am thankful that we are now emerging from this and I look forward to that engagement plus a committed diary.