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Afterpay Australian Fashion Week is mere days away. Journalists, buyers, stylists and influencers will gather at the historic Carriageworks in the heart of Sydney for the unveiling of resort collections from some of the country’s most beloved designers. To celebrate, Afterpay has enlisted the meticulous and creative eye of Indigenous painter Ryhia Dank, who has created an artwork which will be on display throughout the week.
Dank, a Gudanji/Wakaja woman based out of the Sunshine Coast, has collaborated with the likes of the ARIA Awards and ELEVEN. Following from her childhood love of storytelling, the artist has built a career in creating colourful commissions and prints, with 39,000 followers on social media and counting.
Her next work for Afterpay utilises the brand’s signature ‘Bondi mint’ green alongside traditional symbols. Speaking on the inspiration behind the artwork she has said, “In the piece that I created for Afterpay, we have people gathering in a central location. We are celebrating creators and designers… To me, fashion is an expression. I think your clothes can tell a story just as good as painting can.”
“The central camp (circles) is to represent the event, the hills (arches) represent grounding, wisdom and strength,” she said of the artwork. “People (on the right – upside down u) travelling far and wide, gathering. Above that I have people to represent Afterpay and the smaller dots surrounding them are the small businesses that Afterpay supports.
“The water in the top right corner for its life-giving abilities. Next to this, there are wildflowers for their resilience as they can grow in extremely harsh climates and I think they are very beautiful (one of my family’s favourite flowers). The wiggles are for the different directions that the designers/artists take to create their pieces and the baskets, coolamons and digging sticks are there to resemble the tools and accessories of the event.”
For guests of AAFW, Dank’s artwork will be visible at the entrance staircase and the ramps that lead into Carriageworks. It will also be seen on the The Quarter bar at the event and on the menus as well as on the Afterpay 3D logo.
Video: Peter Teys @peterteysphotography
