A series of murals painted to celebrate the Leichhardt Italian-Australian community, which includes three segments on the corner of Wetherill and Norton Streets as part of the Inner West's Perfect Match program.
In Bocca al lupo translates to ‘In the wolf’s mouth', an Italian proverb referring to finding safety in a place of danger, or to put it simpler, good luck.
In part, this title alludes to many of the complicated feelings and implications - the fears, hope, anguish and aspirations- many carry with them when leaving their home for a new. Perhaps the most literal evocation to the concepts of journey and new beginnings that weighs centrally in the story of the diaspora, is the image of the ship, and specifically the ‘Lloyd Triestino’, many older Italians embarked on their way to Australia during the ‘golden era’ of mass migration in post-war Europe. While the wolf represents an origin source, as an emblem for the birth of Rome, this founding fable is itself a tale of migration, which to me affirms that the layers informing collective identity are neither static nor linear.
For that reason on the third wall I chose to take on a personal fragment of my own roots in artisanship, using my Bisnonno’s (great grandfathers) bronze cast bust to show continuation with past and present interwoven with the ‘portafortuni” (good luck charms). To serve as a contemporary contribution for younger Italian Australians with the stories we carry through our ancestry and the symbols, superstitions we pass onto future generations.
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