Amina Briggs' Art Tram envisions a better future for First Nations people
Boonwurrung/Erub artist Amina Briggs is one of six First Nations artists chosen to create unique designs for the latest Art Trams initiative as part of the widely celebrated RISING festival.
Amina, currently pursuing a Master of Contemporary Art at the VCA, said it was surreal to see her designs come to life on the tram's façade.
"I have spent most of my life in Naarm, and never in a million years would I have imagined my art would be on a tram," she said.
The theme of this year's offering, 'Blak Futurism: envisioning a better future for Australia's First Peoples,' was curated by Boonwurrung/Wemba Wemba artist Jarra Karalinar Steel.
Amina initially found the theme challenging and struggled to envision a hopeful future for Indigenous Australians amidst ongoing injustices.
"I felt stunted...because we are constantly reminded that we are on stolen land, that sovereignty has never been ceded, and there is a rising number of Blak deaths in custody," she shared.
Despite her initial challenges, Amina found a meaningful way forward.
"When I envisioned a world where our land was given back to us, I was immediately overwhelmed with relief – as if a weight had been lifted off my chest and I could breathe easily."
Her artwork draws on this profound feeling of relief and freedom, imagining a future where unceded lands are returned to First Nations people.
Amina's design incorporates elements from her Boonwurrung culture, featuring Bunjil the creator and Waa the protector, adorned in possum skin cloaks alongside their animals. Her artwork depicts Australia as the sun, shining brightly as a beacon guiding Bunjil and Waa, who "are reaching out to reclaim the stolen Biik (land) and are finally coming home."
Amina said her design carries a powerful message for First Nations people: "I want this work to inspire hope of a better future for First Peoples and that we will reclaim what is ours."
Other artists featured in this year's Art Tram project include Peter Waples-Crowe, a Ngarigo artist celebrating the Alpine dingo as a symbol of ecosystem restoration, and the mother-son team of Lyn and Coree Thorpe, whose collaboration acknowledges their Aboriginal ancestors and preserves knowledge from their lands.
The First Peoples Melbourne Art Trams will continue to journey across various routes in Melbourne for the next 12 months. Passengers can learn more about the artists and their works by scanning QR codes featured on the trams. The Art Trams project is a collaboration between RISING, Creative Victoria, the Department of Transport and Planning, and Yarra Trams.