As part of its 40th anniversary program, Linden New Art is presenting a significant new commission by Yorta Yorta/Wamba Wamba/Mutti Mutti/Boonwurrung artist Maree Clarke; on the building's façade.
Clarke's artwork has been printed onto a mesh banner, rendering the building's colonial history as a ghostly presence. The image is visible to gallery visitors and passersby alike, even outside of opening hours, a clear statement of the ongoing strength and resilience of First Nations people and culture.
Long Journey Home: We Are Still Here revisits an image from the artist's iconic photographic series of the same name in which members of Clarke's family are depicted on the shore of Port Phillip Bay, wearing traditional possum-skin cloaks, and necklaces made from river reeds, the plants which form vital wetland habitats along local riverbanks and coastline; their faces are painted with white river clay. Clarke has overlaid the image with a hand-drawn map and a micrograph image of river reed, referencing Boonwurrung People welcoming guests onto Country, and ensuring their safe passage.
Through its re-enactment of a scene from pre-invasion Naarm / Melbourne, Clarke's work powerfully embodies the enduring sovereignty of the Boonwurrung People, as Traditional Owners of the land on which Linden New Art stands, and their deep connection to it, over tens of thousands of years.
"It is an honour to present a major work by Maree Clarke as part of Linden's 40th anniversary program. Long Journey Home: We Are Are Still Here is a powerful reminder of the Boonwurrung People's deep connection to the country that Linden stands on and reflects the organisation's commitment to supporting ambitious new works by leading mid-career artists," said curator at Linden, Hamish Sawyer.
Clarke is a pivotal figure in the reclamation and promotion of south-east Australian Aboriginal art practices. Her continuing desire to affirm and reconnect with her cultural heritage has seen her revivification of traditional possum skin cloaks and her contemporary necklace designs using river reeds, kangaroo teeth and echidna quills.
Her multimedia installations including photography, sculpture and video further explore the customary ceremonies and rituals of her Ancestors. Clarke has exhibited widely both nationally and internationally, and in 2021 was the subject of a major survey exhibition Maree Clarke - Ancestral Memories at the National Gallery of Victoria. The artist also worked at Linden during the mid 1990s, where she established the City of Port Phillip's Koorie Arts Unit.
This project has been supported by the Copyright Agency Limited; and City of Port Phillip through its Cultural Development Fund.
Long Journey Home: We Are Still Here, is on display from Saturday February 28 until Sunday 17 May at Linden New Art.
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