Kmart’s New Homewares Collection With Indigenous Artist Kyralee Shields

The new collection, titled Mudyin Ngurrawa, means ‘Family on Country’ in Dharug.

“My artworks are an expression of my identity, culture, spirituality and relationship to Country. You’ll see elements that represent the traditional land to which my family belong and my deep connection to family,” says Shields.

Her work aims to capture the beauty, strength and resilience of her own vibrant heritage while also reflecting the trauma experienced by her mother’s painful history as part of the Stolen Generation.

Kmart’s locally-led design team in Melbourne worked closely with Shields to understand the artwork’s purpose and meaning and to make sure suggested product extensions were an authentic and appropriate representation of the artist’s story.

Kmart’s Head of Community, Trish Briggs shared, “At Kmart we are constantly working towards being a trusted and credible partner of First Nations peoples. Due to the size and scale of our business, we have a unique opportunity to help make Indigenous designed products widely accessible to all Australians and celebrate Indigenous artists, by sharing their talents and amplifying their storytelling through our products. Our team is immensely proud of this partnership, as we hope to inspire and educate both our customers and our team members on the rich diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and arts.”

Speaking of the collaboration, Shields says “Collaborating with Kmart is a dream come true. It’s allowed me to work with a brand I grew up with who provide quality, on-trend products that are accessible to a wide demographic. It has enabled me to share my art with a wider audience while working with a forward-thinking chain.

Having a brand like Kmart support First Nations artists provides broad exposure to our culture and heritage through art and storylines within the evolving contemporary style, which is important to me. It’s been so gratifying to work on this project with such a wonderful team of people. It’s also been enlightening to see all the different aspects that took my original painting through to the completion of this incredible range that now line Kmart’s shelves,” concluded Shields.