Photo by: ASAT

Cowra Water Tank Art - New South Wales

Artist: Brightsiders, The Zookeeper & DRAPL

Location: Evans Street Cowra NSW

Video by: The Zookeeper Art

Photos by: Brendan Cusick

The Water Tanks in Cowra, New South Wales, were completed in February 2023 by artists The Zookeeper, DRAPL, and Brightsiders.

After their impressive work on the Cowra Civic Centre and Lachlan Laneway, these artists turned their attention to the water reservoirs overlooking Evans Street in the Cowra Peace Precinct.

The talented team behind the murals includes The Zookeeper, DRAPL, and Steven Falco and Jordan Bruce from Brightsiders. They were selected by the Cowra Council after an expression of interest process in the previous year.

Their previous accomplishments include the large murals painted on the Cowra Civic Centre and the former Target building (now Silly Sollys).

After several consultations with Cowra’s Public Art Panel and the local Indigenous community, it was decided that one of the tanks would feature an Indigenous theme. The artists worked closely with local Indigenous youth, meeting and photographing them to inform their design.

The second tank carries a theme related to the town’s history, specifically the POW camp that operated between 1941 and 1944 within the Peace Precinct. A poignant aspect of this history is the sacrifice of four men from the Coe family, the largest loss for any family in Cowra during this conflict. The Coe family, who are First Nations, still reside in Cowra today.

These murals and water tank artworks are funded through the state government’s Public Spaces Legacy Program, aimed at enhancing public spaces throughout the shire.

Article Credit: The Cowra Phoenix