WEST PERTH, AUSTRALIA —The CBH Group announced on Aug. 22 that its silos in Ravensthorpe, Western Australia (WA), will begin a transformation as part of a street art initiative with not-for-profit organization FORM.
FORM is an independent, non-profit cultural organization that develops and advocates for creativity and artistic practice in Western Australia.
Andy Crane, CBH Group’s chief executive officer (CEO), said the co-operative was pleased to be able to bring world-class street artist Amok Island to Ravensthorpe.
“Last year we partnered with FORM to undertake a similar project on our CBH Avon silos in Northam, which was the largest installation of urban art in WA,” Crane said. “The project has had a positive impact on the profile of the region and has been showcased around the world. These initiatives form part of CBH’s Community Investment Program, which invests around A$1.5 million ($1.142 million) each year into projects to support rural and regional people through sport, cultural events and services.”
Western Australian Culture and the Arts Minister John Day said the silos projects were symbolic of the state’s growing cultural maturity.
“It is exciting to see these symbols of agricultural success reinvented as giant canvasses attracting not only local but international attention,” Day said. “Following the success of the CBH Avon silos project, we can all look forward to a new arts landmark on the south coast.”
Lynda Dorrington, FORM executive director, said it was great to be able to bring renowned artists to regional communities through the partnership with CBH.
“The Ravensthorpe community inspired FORM – they have had a challenging time over the past year or two and we wanted to do something that would complement their wildflower festival,” Dorrington said. “We are very grateful to CBH who also felt the Ravensthorpe silos could make a vibrant contribution to the local wildflower trail. I hope people come out to visit the silos as they have in Northam.”
Amok Island is a multi-disciplinary artist from The Netherlands, based in Fremantle. He has created murals in more than 20 countries worldwide and exhibited his work in Australia, The Netherlands and Japan.
He will begin work on the three CBH grain silos on Aug. 24. Inspiration will be drawn from the Ravensthorpe environment to create an artwork focusing on native West Australian wildlife and flowers, CBH said.