ARTIST NO.33 ARETHA BROWN

“My work is heavily influenced by urban city centres and the communities that shape them...”

Aretha Brown, Artist

ARTIST NO.33 ARETHA BROWN

When indigenous artist and activist Aretha Brown picks up her brush (or mic, pen, or keyboard), she’s not just creating — she’s reclaiming space and making a statement as bold as a strong ristretto. Born and raised on Wurundjeri Country, impressive doesn’t cut it when trying to summarise this 24-year-old’s creds. Whilst most of us were worrying over acne and exams, at 16 she delivered an incredible speech to 50,000 protesters at the 2017 Invasion Day rallies. Since then, she’s done more than most will in a lifetime. Her art, primarily done in black and white, was a style that arose out of necessity. “When I was in my first year of art school, I could only really afford black and white paint, so I had to make it work” she said. Aretha’s murals now span walls, hoardings and shipping containers from Melbourne to Japan, Sydney to the UK. And now, this coffee bag. “My work is heavily influenced by urban city centres and the communities that shape them, which, in Naarm’s case, doesn’t get very far without a daily coffee.” If you head to Mile End Bagels in Brunswick, you might just spot her in front of a wall lined with this design. Just a bagel’s throw from her studio, she’s there every day and “considers them pretty much co-workers!” There’s a further parallel here too — much like her work their bagels are bold, simple and give you something to really chew on. So here’s to strong coffee, strong art and artists who know that sometimes, the best way to make a mark is to paint it on a wall (or a coffee bag). Big thanks to Aretha for this one, and the added splash of our signature orange to her work. Available on all our 1kg blends and out now at your local Supercafe.

BAGS AS DYNAMIC AS THE COFFEE THAT’S INSIDE THEM.

After a decade of rocking blank bags as a statement against the heavily branded, style-over-substance coffee scene at the time, we founded the Art Bag Project in 2013. As the name implies, artists are commissioned to strut their stuff on our bags. We rotate a new artist every quarter. Through our coffee eyes, this constant updating, planning and creating speaks volumes about how we treat the coffee inside the bag, ever fresh with new harvests.