Melbourne Art Trams

Melbourne is undoubtedly Australia’s capital of the arts. Each year the city’s iconic trams combine with the city’s vibrant arts scene in a travelling exhibition of local artists.

The Melbourne Art Trams program has a storied history, born out of the desire to merge art with everyday life. It reflects the city’s commitment to fostering creativity and community spirit. Since its inception in 1978, the program has transformed our most famous icons into moving canvases, bringing art to the streets to make it accessible to everyone.

Formerly known as Transporting Arts, the first iteration of the program ran from 1978 to 1993. During this time over 30 trams were adorned with the works of prominent local artists, turning them into roving artworks and conversation starters for millions of passengers.

After a two-decade break, it came back to life in 2013 as part of the Melbourne Festival, marking a new era for the program.

The selected works are as diverse as the city itself – bold, abstract, intricate, and narrative-driven. They reflect the deep cultural landscape of Melbourne.

Discover more about the 2025 artists below and explore the stories and inspirations behind this year’s collection.

Let’s continue to support, celebrate, and recognise the incredible talent that makes our city unique.

The 2025 Program

The 2025 Art Trams collection showcases Victoria’s First Peoples. The six trams – delivered in collaboration between Yarra Trams, Creative Victoria, the Department of Transport and Planning, and RISING – honour Ancestral connections, shared histories and First Peoples women as connectors of cultural practice.

The featured works come from private collections of the artists, as well as state and regional galleries. This year, a legacy tram honours William Barak (Beruk).

The 2025 works have been chosen by a First Peoples curatorial collective, convened by Senior Curator Kimberley Moulton (Yorta Yorta):

• Belinda Briggs (Yorta Yorta, Wamba Wamba, Wurundjeri, Ngiyampaa), Shepparton Art Museum
• Gail Harradine (Wotjobaluk, Djubagalk, Jadawadjali), Koorie Heritage Trust
• Caine Muir (Yorta Yorta, Wati Wati, Ngarrindjeri), Museums Victoria
• Stacie Piper (Wurundjeri, Dja Dja Wurring, Ngurai Illum-Wurrung), State Library Victoria.

Find more out here.

William Barak (Beruk) – Wurundjeri, Woi-wurrung
Artwork title – Corroboree (Women in Possum Skin Cloaks)
Tram – 3532
Routes – 5, 6, 16 and 72

"To the colonial world he was William Barak, to his people he is Beruk. As Beruk’s descendants we present this exhibition in his name, the name he was given at birth, spelt as it should be pronounced."

Until his passing, Beruk was the leader at Coranderrk Aboriginal Station Healesville, and a fighter of rights and freedom for all displaced people. He liaised between the protectorate and residents of Coranderrk, balancing his culture and political actions while adapting to changing conditions in his own life. He was an accomplished painter, an activist, a diplomatic leader, and trailblazer for generations to come. He remains a source of knowledge for Wurundjeri people through his works and his influence expands around the globe.

Laurel Robinson – Yorta Yorta, Wurundjeri; Amy Briggs – Yorta Yorta; Cynthia Hardie – Yorta Yorta; Rochelle Patten – Yorta Yorta, Wamba Wamba, Baraparapa
Artwork title – Nyini - Nyinin - Nyiniak (Past, Present, Future)
Tram – 2017
Routes – 3, 64 and 67

“We all have a different story, but our artwork is a collaboration. Each section shares our true memories of the past, what we were told from our elders. We come together as artists to let people know we are still here after thousands of years, still striving for better conditions, still fighting, still telling our stories for our future. We keep the fire burning through our painting, and we continue what the Elders did before us to care for animals and Country, especially our rivers. Our painting is about the past and creating a better future for the next generations.”

Maree Clarke – Mutti Mutti, Yorta Yorta, Boon Wurrung, Wemba Wemba
Artwork title – Barerarerungar - now you see me - seeing the invisible
Tram – 3023
Routes – 48 and 109

 “Over two months in the Histology Department at the University of Melbourne, I examined river reeds under a microscope, looking at the structures within these cultural materials. This informed my work now you see me - seeing the invisible, a series of 397 micrograms of river reeds magnified. River reed necklaces were traditionally gifted to those passing through Country for safe passage and friendship. In this spirit, I hope that travellers encountering my work feel a sense of welcome and protection on their journey.”

Jennifer Mullett – Gunaikurnai, Bidawal, Ngarigo (Monaro)
Artwork title – Collecting parrot feathers for feather flower making
Tram – 236
Routes – 70 and 75

Feather flowers are beautifully crafted objects made from found feathers and is an ongoing cultural practice among Aboriginal people across Australia. Feathers are an important component of significant cultural objects used for adornment and ceremony and are highly valued for their visual qualities and their relationship to country and to totems. Feathers collected from a variety of birds would be crafted into unique and beautiful flowers. This has been a cultural practice of Victorian Aboriginal women for thousands of generations.

Kelly Koumalatsos – Wemba Wemba, Wergaia
Artwork title – Bulkburrannyuawan - Soft Sunrise - Wergaia
Tram – 5012
Routes – 1, 6 and 19

“The combination of pre-colonial making of possum skin cloaks, and the practice of print making which I studied at RMIT whilst doing a Fine Arts Degree, led me to develop my practice of printing with fur…The two works used on the tram are my two favourite possum fur prints…The early prints were muddy and messy, born of the necessity early in my practice to just get the prints done. The simple contrast of the white ink on the black print paper produces a stark contrast to the yellow and red ink printed on the off-white paper. For me, the results are finer prints with more aesthetic qualities.”

Patsy Smith – Taungurung
Artwork title – Parliament Forest
Tram – 5002
Routes – 1, 6 and 19

"Photography is the medium I work best with because it allows me to layer the various worlds that I live in. We all live and breathe and eat the same but as an Indigenous person, there’s always another layer that guides you. My works represent that complex relationship. What impacts on me is that the picture is only one dimensional but in my mind I see the other dimensions that create the story’s depth…I start adding layers and layers and then find I have to simplify the image. Other times, I can tell the story with a couple of layers. Sometimes though, the image is enough on its own. It tells a story and you don’t want to do anymore with it."