Past, present, future | Body of Work Exhibition
DATE: Oct – Nov 2015
LOCATION: Backspace Gallery, Ballarat
This was a group show, mounted in association with the Archibald Prize, to celebrate the diversity of faces in the Central Highlands community.
Body of Work was about celebrating local faces along side those faces depicted in the Archibald prize in 2015.
When thinking of local faces, what was significant to me was the lack of images of young, strong, proud Indigenous young people. Ballarat has a strong Indigenous community and I hoped to be able to shine a light. My friend Deb’s two kids Andrew and Kiara were happy to be my subjects and when I asked them what location they thought would resonate with them, they chose Lal Lal. There is a huge waterfall and beautiful landscape at Lal lal and culturally, the falls are believed to be the earthly home of Bunjil, the Creator to most Victorian Aboriginal tribes.
I wanted the images to have a sense of the past – their dreaming, their history, where they have come from; the present – who they currently are and are becoming as teenagers in today’s society; and the future – knowing they are strong, proud and will make their mark in the world.
I hope we see many more images celebrating our Aboriginal people, I hope we are able to learn together, walk together and grow together.