A group of First Nations women are making their mark on the walls and buildings of Brisbane as a way to connect their culture and heritage to the mainstream.

As part of this year's Brisbane Street Art Festival (BSAF), Boneta-Marie Mabo and Sisters Inside are among the women showing their talent to the world.

Rachael Sarra, a proud Goreng Goreng woman, said creating street art allowed them to engage with the public about their heritage.

Walls have been painted in and around new developments in the city. ( ABC Radio Brisbane: Jessica Hinchliffe )

Rachael Sarra uses bright oranges and pinks to engage people in her art. ( Supplied: Rachael Sarra )

"The street art festival has given us the opportunity to work in the Yuggera Turrbal lands — it's so important to have representation," Ms Sarra said.

"It's been really important for women of colour to be represented, as we're creating a new movement now and it's about empowering each other."

Ms Sarra uses bright colours such as pinks and oranges that express the vibrance of her work and optimise the subject matter.

Street art by Sofles dominates this carpark in Brisbane's busy West End. ( ABC Radio Brisbane: Jessica Hinchliffe )

"I'm not a traditional artist, but I bring the art into a contemporary space," she said.

"There's not an artwork I've done that doesn't have pink."

It was a challenge to take her canvas artwork to a much larger scale, she said.

Art from previous festivals line Brisbane streets. ( ABC Radio Brisbane: Jessica Hinchliffe )

"It's bigger than what I'm used to, but the platform for everyone to look at is exciting.

"I think it's also important to include more contemporary Indigenous artists, as a lot of art is considered Aboriginal art based on our traditional heritage."

Using art as a vehicle for learning

Ms Sarra said her heritage was a core component of her work.

"Art is a vehicle for change and conversation, as we tell stories through art and it talks to many different types of people ... I think it's the way of the future.

This work by visual artist Luckylucks stands in the West End precinct. ( ABC Radio Brisbane: Jessica Hinchliffe )

"Some people question if it's Aboriginal art or not and sometimes you get caught in the identity crisis, but on a whole, people really engage with it and find it new and exciting.

"They seem to want to talk about the subject matter and the subject matter that relates to them as well."

Along with her artwork, Ms Sarra has collaborated with Brisbane-based jewellery creator Concrete Jellyfish Co and designed outfits for the Queensland Firebirds netball team during the NAIDOC round.

Ms Sarra says people are wanting to interact with wearable Indigenous art. ( ABC Radio Brisbane: Jessica Hinchliffe )

"There is a real demand for people to engage with Indigenous culture through the wearable artform," she said.

"It's about putting Indigenous culture in the mainstream and from that they want to learn more.

"What we've found is artists are uncovering their own identity in their own way, and what's unfolding is this new type of art and platform.

"It's creating a really strong community for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to explore our identity."

Connecting with others

Chaboo — a partnership between Casey Coolwell, a Quandamooka woman with ties to Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island), and her partner Roy Fisher, a Wakka Wakka man from Cherbourg — have also made their mark on the festival.

Casey Coolwell and her partner Roy Fisher with their piece highlighting the Brisbane River. ( Supplied: Chaboo )

It began after Ms Coolwell started creating artwork on merchandise and clothing before she moved into freelance design work while exploring hand-painted art pieces.

"I do the outline and the design before Roy, who is a house painter by trade, comes in and takes over and he's great with the murals," she said.

Hafleg, aka Shaun Lee Gwarkabah, painting his piece on the West End substation. ( ABC News: Rae Allen )

The duo created a piece depicting the Brisbane River. She said being part of the festival had allowed her to connect with people through art.

"The feedback has been really positive, and many children came and asked us what the dots meant and what the story was behind it and that was really cool.

The duo work together, doing the outline and then painting in the design. ( Supplied: Chaboo )

"It's been awesome to be painting on our land and we're telling our stories through our artwork and it's overwhelming to see our work on such large scales."

Their piece captures an aerial view of the river and cliffs.

"We included our signature community link artwork, which identifies the New Farm and Fortitude Valley area," Ms Coolwell said.

"It was hard to try and determine what size to do the dots, but we did it in two days."

She said her heritage was a big part of her art.

"All of the work comes from my heritage and I'm inspired by everyone around me and my family — we draw off each other and that shows in the artwork."

The Brisbane Street Art Festival runs until May 19.