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Motor Museum of Western Australia was very fortunate to have been donated by GMH, a Holden facia sign, from North City Holden when it closed its doors.
Thanks Mate for 69 Great Years
One of our great volunteers Harold Hitchcock (pictured right with artist TPG, left) felt we needed to honour the legacy of Holden, and he enlisted his son, world acclaimed street artist, Yok (who painted the sea horse mural on the CBH silos in Albany) to design a mural which reflects Holden’s 69 years in Australia and it surely does.
Street artist TPG painstakingly painted Yok’s mural design over 3 days and we couldn’t be prouder of the finished product, a fitting tribute to 69 years of Holden in Australia.
A big thank you to Dulux who donated the paint and everyone who was associated with the project.
Some Minor Edits Were Made
Yok, who is now based in New York, visited Motor Museum of Western Australia to see his artwork on its final canvas, where it was noted that the “Thanks Mate” wasn’t as impactful as first envisaged and as such, Yok made a small edit to the artwork to alter the grey shadow of the lettering to black.
Mural Inspiration
Holden Car
The car depicted in the mural is based on a Holden magazine advertisement, while the shadow of a person waving their arm out the window is a play on the phrase used at the Holden factory “last one out, turn off the lights” – this time being the final time the lights were turned off.
A sunset was chosen as the background as the sunsetting of an Australian motoring legacy.
Thanks Mate
“Thanks Mate” is a colloquially term used in Australia to say thank you to a friend – in this case thanks to Holden who were in production in Australia for 69 years.
We Love Holden Cars
“We Love Football, Meat Pies, Kangaroos and Holden Cars” was a well known ad and jingle that featured on Australian television in the 1970’s and depicted here within our mural.
Map, Kangaroo or Both?
The final piece of the mural is a mash-up of the map of Australia with Kangaroo legs and tail, human hands giving a thumbs up and enjoying a red can with an Akubra sitting up on Cape York.
You can’t get much more Australian than that!
Why the Mural was Created
Motor Museum of Western Australia was very generously donated a Holden facia sign from North City Holden when it closed its doors.
Once erected, the empty space below the facia sign, coupled with the long lasting legacy that Holden had created within Australian culture had to be told.
And the rest they say, is history!
Designing the Mural
Below are a number of variations Yok supplied before all parties agreed on the final look, including the original placement, which fortunately was extended to the encompass the full length of the Holden facia.
