Barraba Silo Art - New South Wales

The town of Barraba is located 99 kms north of Tamworth and is situated on the Manilla river in the heart of the Nandewar Rangers in New South Wales.

The Barraba Silos are privately owned by Simon and Amanda Koopman and are located at the southern entrance to town on Manilla Road.

25 artists were approached from across Australia to seek their interest in painting the Barraba Silos. From those 25, 14 proposals were received. The Barraba Silo Art Committee, including the owners of the silos (Simon and Amanda Koopman), chose Fintan Magee as the winning artist. 

Mural Theme

To refine the theme for this mural, Fintan visited Barraba in early 2019 to inspect the site and to meet with the local community. After speaking to the locals he gained an understanding of the local area. He listened to their stories and the concept for the mural was conceived.

In 2019, NSW continued to be in the grip of one of the worst droughts Australia has ever faced, with over 90% of the state in drought. Large areas of NSW were facing severe water shortages, with supply being limited to critical water needs only.

Extract from Fintan Magee's Artist Statement

This mural depicts a local water diviner searching for groundwater, using a y-shaped twig or rod or two L-shaped ones. Diviners study the landscape of a farm and walk over areas where they suspect the water may be located. Ground minerals and magnetic forces force the sticks to cross or be pushed downwards when water is located. Despite many studies claiming the technique is pseudo-science, diviners continue to be used throughout Australia as a way of finding groundwater.

Work began on the silos on the 25 March 2019 and they were completed just 24 days later on the 19 of April. The Barraba Silos are officially the 28th silos to be included in the Australian Silo Art Trail Collection. 

Meet the Artist

Fintan Magee is an internationally renowned artist known for his murals throughout the world. He obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 2009 in Brisbane and then moved to Sydney to further his career. 

A special thank you to Emily Bowman of the Barraba Silo Art Committee for suppling the links to the information provided.

Parking

There is ample parking at this location on each side of the road, suitable for very large vehicles.