When artist Noni Cragg was growing up she was as influenced by the work of Frida Kahlo, Alphonse Mucha and Emily Kame Kngwarreye as she was by pop culture like The Simpsons and Japanese anime series Sailor Moon.

In 2024 Cragg – who has Irish, Scottish, Bundjalung and Biripi heritage – is one of student accommodation provider Scape’s artists in residence at Scape, Australia’s largest owner and operator of purpose-built student accommodation. She’ll be based primarily in a studio inside the Kingsford, Sydney, building. And she’s already made her mark.

With help from artists Natalie Naksila and Dodge Pangburn, Cragg has transformed the entrance of the Kingsford building with a large-scale, vibrant, hyperrealistic mural. She calls it a “love letter to the community”.

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“I wanted people to feel like they’re coming home – filled with comfort, feeling welcomed,” she says.
Cragg researched local flora and fauna for the work. “I painted Sydney golden wattles, flannel flowers, native jasmine, lemon myrtle, banksia serrata, wax flowers and bat’s wing fern,” she tells Broadsheet. “There’s also the spotted pardalote [bird]. I popped [it] in the mural not just because it’s particularly found in this area, but also because the bird’s colours are the same as the Koori flag: red, black and yellow.”

The residency program supports emerging talent to reach a wider audience. Living and working alongside the student community on-site exposes the resident artists to a diverse group of students. Cragg is excited to expand her art practice through that experience, and sees it as another opportunity to share her values and experience through her work.

“Lots of things matter to me, like the importance of Country and Land Back,” says Cragg. “I think LGBTQIA+ issues and women’s rights are important, too.

“All these things inform me as a person, and how that comes out in my art is in who I choose to celebrate and paint in my portraits.”
For Cragg, self-expression means challenging who society has in the past celebrated through art. “Portraiture has traditionally symbolised how ‘important’ somebody was in society. It was a medium … reserved for people with money, status and land. Historically, that’s always been cis-het white men.

“I think celebrating people who’ve historically not been celebrated – people of colour, women, LGBTQIA+ people – is very important.”
Cragg will also run exclusive life-drawing workshops for Scape residents across Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane as part of her residency.

“The Scape workshops will start with a quick portrait tutorial as a warm-up,” Cragg says. “Then I’ll ask participants to take turns drawing one another. The aim is to help people get to know each other, and have a few pieces of work to walk away with.” She says that although the sessions are intimate, they are also relaxed and a chance to have a chat.

Twelve per cent of Scape students study creative arts courses. Cragg wants to encourage young creatives who are finding their voice to commit to their ideas by trying and iterating. “Perfectionism is not how you learn,” she says. “Every time you draw, you learn what you do and don’t like and what you need to keep working on. So mistakes aren’t mistakes, they’re learning experiences. Just keep doing it.”
Scape also plans to continue to invest in public art beyond its buildings. Supported by the Randwick City Council, the Kensington to Kingsford (KEKI) corridorwill be transformed into a living gallery. Artists showcased in partnership with Scape will include street artist Nathan Nankervis, Gumbaynggirr and Bundjalung artist and surfer Otis Hope Carey, and Cragg.

Broadsheet is a proud media partner of Scape. Looking to stay at Scape in 2025? Secure your place by joining the waitlist today.