Artist Profile: Billyara

It is difficult to assign a singular title to Brett Parker. With a career spanning 35 years as an artist, craftsman, teacher, and designer, the creative, who is based in a small NSW town called Cowra, has left no stone unturned. 

Working under the name Billyara — his totem, the eagle — the artist’s relationship with art has always been interwoven with his Wiradjuri heritage. Using the imagery of his ancestry alongside bright, evocative colours, Billyara’s works tell stories of the past and present, mixed with a clear desire for greater appreciation for Australia’s diverse Indigenous history and the preservation of the sacred landscapes that are the primary source of his creativity. 

“I get most of my inspiration from nature,” he says. “One of my favourite things are animals and everything found in our surroundings. Australia has the most unique flora and fauna and it’s very important to our culture to continue to teach about these topics.”

With a practice spanning across painting, sculpture, and traditional objects such as boomerangs, clapsticks, and Yidakis (didgeridoos), Billyara has received a great number of awards for his work. A three-time winner of the Central Coast’s Tony Donovan Award, Billyara’s work Descendants was also notably included in the 2008 Indigenous Law Bulletin alongside the first published edition of former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s apology on National Sorry Day. This all stems, ultimately, from a deep love of making that has enabled Billyara to pursue art full-time for the last 10 years. “I just let the colour and theme flow as I’m going, no pre-thought, just spontaneous creativity,” he says. 

Beyond his making practice, Billyara’s passion for sharing Indigenous art has led him down the avenue of education, running a multitude of creative workshops for children in hopes of continuing the traditions that he learnt from Indigenous elders after finishing high school. His work has featured on an assortment of products developed in conjunction with Modern Teaching Aids — including mats, games, puzzles, and cushions. In the last year, Billyara has also teamed up with Felton Industries, an outdoor furniture store in Condobolin, NSW to produce a series of works adorned with his vibrant designs, a culmination of passions for both art and education. His work with Felton will continue throughout 2023 with an extended range of designs, ensuring the continued visibility not only of his own practice, but of the history and customs that have shaped and formed Australia’s past and present.