Perth Cultural Centre: Simone McGurk celebrates PCC as first public art piece set to honour Noongar connection

As the revitalisation of Perth Cultural Centre nears completion, a trio of artists who will be responsible for an important public art piece has been confirmed. Noongar cultural advisor Justin Martin will lead the project, joined by award-winning artists Susan Milne and Greg Stonehouse, drawing on traditional stories to honour the Noongar connection to the site. Mr Martin began painting around 2009, and his style blends traditional dot‑work influenced by Yamatji heritage with linear motifs drawn from Noongar traditions. His work has been featured in public spaces in Perth before, a 5m x 2m digitally-designed piece was unveiled at the eastern entrance of Karrinyup shopping centre in 2022. “Growing up in Karrinyup, I’ve played in every single bushland. It has a lot of important wildlife species and I’ve tried to represent these as special spirit animals and guides in life,” Martin said. Greg Stonehouse and Susan Milne are long‑standing collaborators whose public art practice spans more than two decades and reaches communities across Australia. Mr Stonehouse works primarily in large-scale, site-specific sculpture, often engaging directly with public spaces and infrastructure, while Ms Milne focuses on mixed-media sculptures that blend contemporary materials with natural or recycled elements. The trio previously collaborated to create public art at Curtin University. The striking installation was unveiled in February 2022 and combined hand‑blown glass vials, blackbutt timber forms and mild steel to map sea‑currents, seasonal cycles and Noongar knowledge in the atrium of the TL Robertson Library. Creative Industries Minister Simone McGurk said the revamp will make better use of joining cultural institutions, including the WA Museum, the State Library, and The Art Gallery of WA. “We want to foster a creative economy where our creatives can live and work in Western Australia. We also want to encourage audiences and utilisation of our cultural institutions,” she said. Parts of the centre in front of The Blue Room Theatre and near the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts have reopened, and new renders show landscaped pathways, shaded areas and greenery linking the city’s main cultural institutions. The precinct’s rear will be transformed into a lively hub for art, festivals and community events, creating more welcoming spaces for visitors and boosting Perth’s cultural and tourism appeal.