Joan Kirner Women's & Children's Hospital

Joan Kirner Women’s and Children’s Hospital was a major collaborative project for Martinich & Carran, transforming a series of spaces within the Children’s Ward through immersive, site specific mural works.

The commission brought together the artists’ distinct practices, combining Martinich’s luminous colour and expressive abstraction with Carran’s painted birdlife. Sweeping gestures, layered marks and vibrant colour move across the walls, with birds woven through the composition as familiar points of recognition and connection.

Designed specifically for the hospital environment, the murals introduce warmth, energy and visual relief into a clinical setting. The work creates moments of discovery and distraction for children undergoing treatment, while also offering a more uplifting environment for families, carers and hospital staff.

Through colour, scale and imagery, the project demonstrates the role public art can play in shaping atmosphere and humanising healthcare spaces, transforming corridors and treatment areas into places that feel more welcoming, engaging and alive.