Artist Sylvie Currin unveils her award-winning nature mural

28 Feb 2024

Sylvie Currin was one of ten winners from across the country who took out the top prize in the latest Keep New Zealand Beautiful’s Resene Nature Mural Competition.

The mural, titled 'Kauri, Spirit of Resilience' is located in a busy area of Kaitaia on the back entrance of a charity shop on Ward Lane.

Sylvie was inspired by the Māori proverb 'I orea te tuatara ka patu ki waho - A problem is solved by continuing to find solutions'.

"This profoundly resonates with me - it encapsulates a spirit of resilience, a push to persevere in the face of adversity, something we all can relate to in challenging times,” Sylvie says. “Drawn towards its encouraging message, I felt inspired to incorporate this idea into a design meant to reinvigorate one of Kaitaia's neglected and weather-beaten walls I frequently pass by."

The mural is painted in the style of Banksy and illustrates children working together to plant a kauri tree with the words 'from small beginnings come great things'.

"With this symbolic image, I wish to convey that even small acts, have profound value and can bring positive change. I've chosen to draw inspiration from Banksy to resonate with a younger audience, instilling in them this powerful yet simple narrative of action and impact," says Sylvie.

"I have really enjoyed working on my mural of children planting a Kauri tree. It was a great privilege to have an opportunity to create an artwork of encouragement and hope in our community. I wish that this simple message, delivered in street art style, would inspire passers-by to nurture life and the environment."

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Keep New Zealand Beautiful CEO Heather Saunderson says: “Our Resene Nature Mural Competition provides a great opportunity for artists to beautify their local communities. The beautification of public spaces greatly benefits communities by increasing civic pride, deterring vandalism and reducing anti-social behaviour such as littering and graffiti.”

“We were impressed with the dozens of high-calibre entries we received, so much so that narrowing the selection to just ten winners was a tough task! We're thrilled to see the end result of Sylvie's mural coming to life." 

Sylvie's mural is located on the back entrance of a charity shop on Ward Lane in Kaitaia. The Resene colours used in the mural include Resene White, Resene Black, Resene Tree Frog, Resene Japanese Laurel, Resene Crusoe, Resene Green House, Resene Wham, Resene Citron, Resene Citrus, Resene Sublime, Resene Flourish, Resene Chill Out and Resene Gravel.

View a map of all Keep New Zealand Beautiful’s Resene Nature Murals here.

Published: 28 Feb 2024