Cammeraygal Elder Uncle Bryce Moran and Barada Bana, Yuin and Cammeraygal woman Aunty Jeanie Moran have opened a new joint exhibition, Cammeraygal Whale Dreaming, now showing at Gallery Lane Cove until 19 July.
The exhibition features paintings, pottery and installation works centred on the whale as a totem of the Cammeraygal people, and explores their enduring connection to saltwater Country, culture and story.
Seen in Sydney Harbour during seasonal migration, whales continue to hold deep cultural significance for the Cammeraygal people, symbolising strength, connection and ancestral knowledge.
For Aunty Jeanie, the exhibition is her debut as an exhibiting artist.
"This is my first exhibition and to do it with my uncle is an honour so that's two generations coming together," she said.
Her contributions include a range of hand-crafted pottery pieces and a ceramic installation of a Nawi (canoe), created with her grandchildren as part of the X-Change exhibition at The Concourse in Chatswood.
The work speaks to intergenerational knowledge-sharing and cultural continuity.
Her cultural identity spans ten language groups, with songlines connecting New South Wales and Central Queensland.
"The gallery was so supportive and it's the first time they've had descendants exhibit at the gallery," she said.
Aunty Jeanie's recent cultural work includes her involvement in Keep the Fire Burning at the Coal Loader Centre for Sustainability, and a collaborative ceramic installation with her grandchildren for the X-Change exhibition at The Concourse in Chatswood.
She described her practice as both personal and cultural.
"I'm rebuilding and re-birthing at the same time," she said.
Uncle Bryce, who was born in Taree, has been making art for over 40 years.
A self-taught artist, his practice includes painting on canvas, sculpting and printmaking.
He has worked extensively in schools, embedding Aboriginal perspectives into education and sharing his knowledge with younger generations through art workshops.
Gallery Lane Cove describes the exhibition as a reflection of the "richness of contemporary Cammeraygal arts and cultural practice", and a continuation of storytelling traditions grounded in ancestral knowledge and lived experience.
The exhibition is open to the public until 19 July, with an official opening event on 11 July from 6pm to 8pm.