Noongar artists to create art for Perth Aboriginal Short Stay
Two Aboriginal artists, Ilona McGuire and Zali Morgan, have been selected to create artworks for the Perth Aboriginal Short Stay.
Ilona McGuire is a Bibbulmun Noongar and Kungarakan interdisciplinary artist. Ilona’s light shows have featured at two Fremantle Biennale festivals, and her works have been exhibited across the country, including at The National 4: Australian Art Now exhibition in Sydney.
Ms McGuire will be creating works within the foyer of the community building to create an environment that celebrates Aboriginal art and culture.
Key points
- Ilona McGuire and Zali Morgan commissioned to create art for the Perth Aboriginal Short Stay
- Works celebrate culture while adding to the vibrancy of the Short Stay
- Perth Short Stay is the fifth for WA and is being delivered through the State Government’s record $6.3 billion investment in housing and homelessness measures since 2021
Zali Morgan is a Whadjuk Balladong and Wilman Noongar artist and former guest curator of the 2023 NAIDOC Exhibition at the Art Gallery of Western Australia.
Zali Morgan has exhibited nationally and received the City of South Perth’s Emerging Artist Open Award for her image of the Old Swan Brewery in 2023.
Ms Morgan will complement Ms McGuire’s works by crafting an interpretation map within the foyer, as well as adding unique artworks directly onto the window within the rooms and on the front entry screen.
“The Perth Aboriginal Short Stay will support Aboriginal people travelling from remote and regional Western Australia to Perth and will help to avoid people sleeping rough in the city,” Housing and Works Minister John Carey said.
Ilona McGuire is a Bibbulmun Noongar and Kungarakan interdisciplinary artist.
“These works will add to the life and vibrancy of the Short Stay, while also displaying and celebrating Aboriginal culture, and I look forward to seeing the work the two artists produce.
“This project is part of the government’s record $6.3 billion in housing measures since 2021, which also includes the delivery of more than 3,900 new social homes, two common ground facilities and additional Aboriginal short stays in regional Western Australia.”
Construction on the Perth Aboriginal Short Stay commenced in 2025 and is expected to be completed in 2027.
The Perth Aboriginal Short Stay will be Western Australia’s fifth, following the recent completion of a short stay in Geraldton as part of the Cook Government’s record $6.3 billion investment in housing and homelessness measures since 2021.
