40 Year Celebration Painting

Keioni Lander is a proud Arrernte, Kaytetye, Warlpiri & Anmatyerre woman from Mparntwe (Alice Springs) who owns and operates Mulla Mulla Arts.

This year DASA celebrates 40 years of service and to commemorate the occasion we approached Keioni to culturally and artistically showcase our clients journey towards the road to recovery.

The design is separated into 3 main sections which partly represent the 3 phases clients go through. This includes the 1st stage (at the bottom of design) where you see footprints leading to a central meeting place. This represents DASA and the welcoming sense of the service.

The second section (the middle) represents the different programs and people that help each client through their journey. Traditional ochre colour is incorporated to symbolise the importance of being on country and connecting to country through this journey.

The top part represents that final stage where the clients have independence and emphasises the growth and journey they go on and how this can be taken outside the program.

Keioni states "A big thing that stood out to me was the passion of the workers at DASA. Michelle (Aboriginal Outreach Worker) raised that addiction can be seen as a very dark time but DASA wants to bring light to this so she and I agreed it was important to make sure the design was very colourful and vibrant. I mainly focus on the DASA logo colours and the different shades of these colours. With a navy blue background because I think it works beautifully with the vibrant colours."

DASA Deputy CEO Jocelyn Dhu, Arrernte & Banyjima woman, is excited to see the painting come alive. "We are thrilled to have Keioni jump on board and create this spectacular piece of art, not only to highlight her abilities as an artist but also to reflect DASA's journey over the last 40 years. We can't thank Keioni enough for consulting with our Indigenous staff and contributing to our celebrations." 

For further information about Keioni and Mulla Mulla Art, check out the Facebook page here