The back story of ”We Scar Many Trees” with the artist, Uncle Mick Harding

Uncle Mick is a proud Taungurung Elder of the Yowong-Illam-Baluk and Nattarak Baluk clans of the Taungurung Nation and takes pride in sharing cultural narratives through his work. He describes art as a ‘rainbow of many things’, which is fitting for someone that specialises in many different mediums including wood working, sculpture, and printmaking.  He has his own family art business called Ngarga Warendj (Dancing Wombat) producing beautiful hand-made cultural items and gifts.

He likes to push the boundaries with his art practice. His most recent project called ‘We Scar Many Trees’ took an innovative approach by taking an age-old cultural practice of scarring trees and presenting it as a contemporary art form. Working alongside his sons Mitchil and Corey they expressed cultural stories within the scarred trees across the entire length of the Great Victorian Rail Trail. Uncle Mick cites this project as one of his most proud because of the opportunity to pass on cultural knowledge to his sons as part of the process.

We yarn with Uncle Mick to delve into his unique art story and find out more about his works on the recently launched Art on the Great Victorian Rail Trail.