Indigenous artist uses water to represent St John WA’s important connection to communities

St John WA has chosen art from 2021 WA Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Student of the Year Kevin Wilson to help frame its ongoing journey to reconciliation through its Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP).

Kevin is a Wongi man with family ties to the Goldfields, Leonora and South Australia.

He is a Creative Director of Nani Creative, an Aboriginal owned and led design agency which helps emerging talent, and is an Artist Member of the Indigenous Art Code.

Kevin was pleased to have his ‘Connecting Our Communities’ artwork selected for St John WA’s RAP as it spoke to the life-affirming journey the organisation was on and its important impact to communities.

“To me the journey feels like water, flowing forward and all connected in some way. Water is the source of life to everything and I have used this to represent St John’s impact on communities,” Kevin said.

“The circles within my artwork represent communities joined together by the relationship St John creates with them.”

St John WA RAP champion Aaron Crowther said Kevin’s instinct for beautiful visual storytelling and the moving representations in ‘Connecting Our Communities’ made it a clear choice.

“Our organisation prides itself on its integrated role in community and this comes across clearly in Kevin’s art. The work is a clear visualisation of the importance of First Nations peoples for St John,” he said.