Rising artist Josh Muir hopes his harrowing journey can inspire other young people to keep hold of their dreams whatever their struggles might be.
Visiting Victoria University this week to discuss his art and personal journey, Muir will open up about his years of hardship, depression and drug addiction.
The Yorta Yorta/Gunditjmara man said art and creativity held an important place in his life and offered a way to pull himself out of dark places.
“It’s a positive outlet for me,” he said. “Visuals became my way of sharing my voice, they became something I could show to people rather than having to explain things through words.”
Muir’s art, drawing on street art and hip-hop, often depicts the entwined history of indigenous people and European settlers.
Muir, a finalist in last year’s National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards, sees his artistic expression as part of a long tradition.
“Aboriginal people and people in history have always used art as a way of communicating a message,” he said.
Muir struggled throughout his teenage years, dropping out of high school and experiencing his first drug overdose at the age of 15.
Now 25, he is able to revisit those dark times to weave a cautionary but uplifting tale.
“I make art that gives people a vision to open their mind,” he said. “I’m creating a way of spending time with people rather than hiding in the shadows.”
Josh Muir will host an art talk from 2pm Wednesday October 19 at the VU Footscray Park library.
