Ballina Public Art – Thanking The Ocean Mural

Stretching across the walls of the Epiq Marketplace in Lennox Head, Ngiinda Darrundang Gaagal — meaning “thanking the ocean” — is a breathtaking mural by Bundjalung–Gumbaynggirr artist Otis Carey. Completed with the help of two assistants over four days, the 18-metre artwork flows with the movement and energy of the sea, paying homage to the ocean’s life-giving power and spiritual significance.

Inspired by Otis’s deep connection to Country, the mural honours his family heritage and the enduring bond between people and water. Through sweeping forms and rhythmic patterns, Ngiinda Darrundang Gaagal captures both the physical beauty and spiritual strength of the coast — a reminder of gratitude to the ocean that sustains and centres the community.

Otis Carey is a proud Gumbaynggirr–Bundjalung man, celebrated for both his visual art and professional surfing. His murals are known for their fluid, organic forms that reflect his cultural connection to the land and sea. Drawing inspiration from his ancestors and coastal upbringing, Otis’s work expresses identity, spirituality, and belonging through motion and simplicity — powerful yet deeply grounded in Country.