Signs of Dissent | Graphic Interventions
Brock Willis, Danish Quapoor, Yamile Tafur Rios
5 November – 6 December 2026
Location | Various Locations
Opening Hours | Daily | 24hrs
Entry | Free
Signs of Dissent | Graphic Interventions transforms public space through site responsive artworks that respond to the Festival theme of Dissent. Featuring works by Yamile Tafur Rios, Brock Willis, Danish Quapoor and more artists to be announced, the project brings new visual perspectives into Canberra's urban landscape, inviting audiences to reconsider how public spaces communicate, represent and create a sense of belonging.
Drawing on the visual language of the street, each artist uses graphic intervention as a way to disrupt familiar environments and open new conversations. Yamile Tafur Rios' Latinidad as Dissent introduces Latin American motifs, symbols and narratives into public space, challenging dominant cultural imagery and creating visibility for stories that are often absent from mainstream representations. Through colour and iconography, the work positions cultural presence as an act of dissent.
Brock Willis' Uncontained explores the relationship between Canberra's structured urban environment and the persistence of the natural world. Organic forms move beyond architectural boundaries, offering a playful disruption to the city's rigid geometry and inviting audiences to imagine different relationships between nature, design and place.
Danish Quapoor's Persistent Resistance considers quieter forms of dissent through subtle interventions embedded within everyday surroundings. Using restrained visual language and symbolic forms, the work reflects on persistence and the impact of small gestures within systems shaped by conformity.
Extending the project's focus on creative exchange, Signs of Dissent will also include an opportunity for an Australian National University Art and Design student to contribute a site responsive work, bringing an emerging voice into conversations around public space and visual communication.
Together, these works demonstrate how graphic intervention and public art can shift how we experience shared spaces. Signs of Dissent invites audiences to encounter Canberra's civic landscape in new ways, revealing alternative perspectives within the places we share.
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Brock Willis is a Canberra based graphic designer specialising in brand identity, spatial design and visual communication. He holds a Bachelor of Communication Design from RMIT University and further developed his practice through a scholarship at the Danish School of Media and Journalism in Copenhagen.
Currently working within the cultural sector at the National Museum of Australia, Willis focuses on exhibition identity and visitor engagement, creating accessible and immersive visual experiences for public audiences. With experience across global advertising agencies and creative studios, he brings together strategic thinking, contemporary design and a strong understanding of how visual systems shape experiences of place and community.
Brock’s work has been recognised international, including Gold and Silver Cannes Lions and D&AD Wood Pencils, as well as the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology Graduate Award.
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Danish Quapoor is a multidisciplinary artist based in Gurambilbarra/Townsville, Queensland. Working across textiles, drawing, ceramics and illustrative painting, his practice explores intersectional identity and socio-political systems of power through repetitive, labour intensive processes. His diverse body of work is unified by sparse, stylised forms, subdued colour palettes and a visual language that balances humour, critique and material exploration.
Danish has exhibited extensively across Australia, including as a finalist in the Queensland Regional Art Awards. He was awarded the 2024 Percival Photographic Portrait Prize presented by Townsville City Galleries and was the inaugural 2023 School of Creative Arts Alumni Fellow at the University of Southern Queensland.
He holds a Master of Arts and Cultural Management from the University of Melbourne and a Bachelor of Visual Arts and Bachelor of Creative Arts with Honours from the University of Southern Queensland. His work is held in public and private collections nationally and internationally.
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Yamile Tafur Rios is a Colombian visual artist and educator based on Ngunnawal Country, Canberra. Working across painting, public art and community based practice, Yamile explores identity, connection and cultural exchange through collaborative and socially engaged creative processes.
Yamile completed a Bachelor of Visual Arts in Colombia in 2012 and has presented solo and group exhibitions since 2013. Since 2022, she has expanded her practice into public art, creating murals across the ACT that celebrate community, diversity and shared experiences. She also leads the Multicultural Women's Group: Chat and Make Art, supported by Tuggeranong Arts Centre, providing a space for creativity, connection and cultural exchange.
Her practice has been supported by the Colombian Ministry of Culture and artsACT, and she has been commissioned by the ACT Government to create public murals.
Proudly supported by Act Government and City of Design funding. With support from Kwik Kopy Canberra, Canberra Theatre Centre and Canberra Centre.
Images | Craft + Design Canberra Festival Graphic Interventions | Photography by 5 Foot Photography