World-renowned Aboriginal artist Daren Dunn has hand painted a RiseForAlex football in his iconic Aboriginal dot painting as a gift for Alex McKinnon and the RiseForAlex Fund.
Dunn explained after seeing McKinnon’s injury and story, he has been inspired by his show of strength throughout his recovery.
“I actually want to give back to Alex... because I just want to let him know that with what he’s doing, there’s a lot of Aboriginal people who look up to him," Dunn said.
“That’s what has inspired me the most.
“I thought, I need to paint this brother a ball."
Dunn revealed the beautifully hand-painted football tells a special story.
“The artwork that’s on the ball is actually an Aboriginal men’s dance that we do in our culture when someone is sick, having trouble or dramas," he explains.
“It’s for healing in our culture and I did that design on Alex’s ball to show him that we all look up to him.
“I painted the ball because Aboriginal people look up to him too, and I’m very grateful for that."
The intricate design took more than 16 hours to complete.
Dunn, who started the Get Black on your Feet program, has joined with the Knights to celebrate the Close the Gap Round and hosted a painting workshop at Hunter Sports High School on Wednesday with students and Knights players.
His stunning artwork will also feature on a number of players’ boots at Sunday’s Close the Gap game against the New Zealand Warriors at Hunter Stadium.
CHECK OUT THE PHOTOGALLERY FROM THE ART WORKSHOP AT HUNTER SPORTS HIGH.
