Yitonia’s iconic Melbourne murals continue with the Hidden Hellenism mural at the new Footscray Hospital, showcasing Greek migrant stories from the suburb. It is their biggest mural to date and the culmination of nearly three years of dedicated work.
The original mural opened in September 2023 and now lives on through a photographic reproduction located around the emergency department of the hospital. It appears alongside other artwork that tells the diverse stories of people connected to the Footscray healthcare service.
Leading the project is Yitonia’s Dean Kotsianis and Peter Giasoumi. Both are proud of the latest mural which reflects their combined 20 years of community experience and their ongoing effort to share Greek voices with communities across Melbourne.
Dean and Peter were grateful for the opportunity to first display the mural on Yewers Street in Footscray. After hearing the new Footscray Hospital’s call out for local artwork, it was a natural step for them to present a new version of the mural – with more stories and detail – when the hospital opened last month.
In a statement to The Greek Herald, Western Health CEO Prof Russell Harrison said the Reflections of Footscray display shows the important connection between Western Health and the diverse community it serves.
“The former Footscray Hospital was known as the ‘People’s Hospital’ and we want to continue that tradition at the new Footscray Hospital,” Prof Harrison said.
“At Western Health, we’re really proud to be part of such a wonderfully diverse community across Melbourne’s west, and that of course includes our friends in the local Greek community.
“The Reflections of Footscray display is just one way we can show our appreciation for the rich cultural heritage of the western suburbs.
“Our new hospital has only been open for a few weeks, but already we know that a lot of visitors are making a special trip to the lower ground floor to see it.”
Project leader Dean spoke to The Greek Herald about their process. “We wanted to actually represent real stories and real people and tell more of a… story about a suburb’s hidden Hellenism.”
A Footscray local himself, Dean holds the suburb’s Greek history close to his heart and appreciates being able to share these stories with the broader community. From April, he will also begin working at the new Footscray Hospital as a Junior Doctor.
“It’s a proud moment to be able to influence my work culture in way through my community stuff,” he said.
Peter explained that murals like these help migrant histories connect with a wider audience. “These murals which celebrate a migrant group at a point in time can really hit the mainstream. They talk about that local area and we’re quite proud that it’s featured at the hospital.”
Footscray’s deep and expansive Greek migrant history is reflected throughout the mural.
“Part of the mural for us was we wanted to celebrate their story because a lot of the people within the mural have passed on,” Peter continued. “So for us it was about celebrating their journey and I think we did that quite well through the mural.”
Connecting community groups with the history of their suburb through a visual medium is a unique venture.
“I think we’re really preserving the Greek layer as an important part of that living history,” Dean said. “We’re using a very Melbourne way of storytelling in a Greek way, which I think resonates with the mainstream as well… I guess it’s a niche and an expertise we’re developing.”
Yitonia plans to continue sharing community and Greek migrant stories through murals as their dominant art form.
“It’s an awesome way to share a story and a way to get the community activated,” Peter said. “It’s something we don’t see all too often anymore—being able to bring the community together… We do look forward to doing [more murals] in the future.”
