My name is Bayley Mifsud and I am a proud Peek Whurrong woman of the Maar nation, from south West Victoria (Warrnambool). My Aboriginal name is Merindah-Gunya which means ‘Beautiful Spirit’ in Peek Whurrong language, chosen by my Elders and parents. I got my Aboriginal name at the age of 16, when I went through my naming ceremony.

I was born in Warrnambool and began doing Aboriginal art at a very young age. I was first introduced to the traditional symbols when I was 5 years old, when we were doing our families possum skin cloak at the Brambuk Aboriginal Cultural Centre in the Grampians. My family would often go there on
weekends, where we would immerse ourselves in culture through art, music and dance.

I now live on Wurundjeri Country in Naarm (Melbourne) and have lived a large portion of my life here. My great granny Mary Clarke was a proud Bunurong and Yorta Yorta woman.

I had a particular interest and talent in art and continued to learn through the guidance and encouragement of my Elders. Creating stories using sacred symbols is something I have always had a strong connection with.

My Aunty Ros is a Butchulla woman from Queensland and she taught me how to use art to tell stories of her own family’s experiences. My Aunty Ros's stories consisted of some new symbols, with more dots to talk to the connected to the Country they were on. I asked my old people about this, and they said that majority of our art was lost, during colonisation, or as my Uncle put it ‘white man didn’t let us paint’.

Since then I have had an ongoing list of commissioned pieces, ranging from pieces for peoples homes, gifts for loved ones, schools, businesses and sporting clubs.

The commission list grew and grew and in May 2023 I resigned my full-time job to pursue art full-time.

Being able to continue the sacred tradition of Storytelling through art, continuing what my Elders and Ancestors have done in the past is something I will never take for granted.

I am extremely passionate about educating people on the beauty of my culture and I know that through artwork, I have been able to. 

My advice for young people wanting to become artists is to practice, practice, practice. Unlike sports or music, where you're often told from a young age that you need to train to improve, art can sometimes feel like it should come naturally. But the truth is, the more you create, experiment, and push your skills, the better you'll get. Don't be afraid to make mistakes or try new things—that's all part of the learning process. Keep at it, and over time, you'll see your growth as an artist.

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