About the artist
Originally from Yandruwandha Yawarrawarrka in South Australia, Leslie Stanley is an iconic part of the culture and streetscape of St Kilda. His artwork is a combination of contemporary colours, utilizing the traditional technique of dot and rarrk (cross-hatching) while embracing cultural themes.
Leslie Stanley accomplishments are extensive. He has won the Koorie Prize, he was a Uoo Uoo sculpture participant, has created many murals, community projects, private commissions and exhibitions in art galleries.
These include the St Kilda Festival, St Kilda Street Art Gathering, conducting adult dot workshops at ‘The Well’ in St. Kilda, and facilitating youth dot workshops for ‘The Hub’ at the Horace Petty Estate and Mount Street pocket park in Prahran.
About the work
Rain Callers features Leslie Stanley’s recurring frog motif. Its significance is linked to the frog as a representation of water.
“Every time it rains you used to hear the frogs calling – and the frogs would call the rain and bring water for everybody. Didn’t matter what part of the country you’d be in you’d still hear the frogs croak – frogs are the rain callers”.
Rain Callers was commissioned by City of Stonnington for the O Fountain Project in partnership with Yarra Vallery Water (YVW). An initiative led by Yarra Valley Water, the O Fountain project aims to increase community access to tap water in public spaces and to achieve positive change, helping to reduce Melbourne’s environmental footprint.
Photographs taken by James Henry Photography.