Artwork completed 2025.
Journey of Hope celebrates the shared human pursuit of peace, belonging, and renewal. Conceived through the lens of a migrant artist, this work stands as a visual and emotional testament to the stories that shape Manningham’s richly diverse community.
Rising in the form of a triangular pyramid (the strongest geometric structure in the universe), it symbolises peace, home, safety, and harmony. Each of its three faces features the image of a child representing kindness, innocence, diversity and harmony. They carry offerings rooted in Australian identity and symbolic of universal human values:
- bouquet of golden wattle, emblem of the land, grounding, resilience and growth.
- white cockatoo, messenger of hope, freedom and opportunity.
- little house, symbolising the warmth of home, kindness, and new beginnings.
The surface of the sculpture, rendered as an interlocking jigsaw puzzle, symbolises how each of our unique journeys contributes to a shared story, a story of migration and peace. Though shaped by different paths, we come together to build a stronger, interconnected community. It is a powerful metaphor for the migrant experience where no matter the languages or origins, it translates into a continual piecing together of memories, identities, and dreams into a unified and evolving whole.
This narrative is set against the vivid backdrop of the ocean horizon of Australia at sunrise, the piece conjures a journey across waters, continents, borders, and time into a land of new possibilities. The dawn sky, alive with radiant colours, suggests transformation, renewal, and the promise of a brighter day.
Though our reasons for migration might differ, born of necessity, ambition, or wonder; we converge in our desire and courage to find peace: inner and outer, personal and communal. These children are an invitation to reflect and revisit our personal journey looking not only into our present and future, but also our past selves.
This sculpture is not just a monument; it is a mirror. A reminder that in our diversity lies our strength, and that peace, while personal, is always shared with the world around us.
Location of artwork: Ruffey Lake Park, corner of Cricklewood Drive and Victoria Street, Templestowe VIC 3106
About the artist
Julian Clavijo is an award-winning artist based in Melbourne, specialising in mural painting and sculpture. His photorealistic murals blend spray-painting and traditional brush techniques. Nominated for an Oscar for Memoir of a Snail, he’s worked with major organisations globally and won multiple art awards. His work explores the transcendence of humanity, innocence and our intrinsic connection with the environment.
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