In Her Footsteps: A Tribute to Matrilineal Legacy

This exhibition brings together seven Australian artists paying homage to the women who have shaped their lives – ancestors, artistic matriarchs, forebears, grandmothers, leaders and mothers.

Through a mix of new and existing works, In Her Footsteps: A Tribute to Matrilineal Legacy acknowledges and celebrates the vital, transformative and nurturing pathways these women have forged, delving into themes of activism and empowerment. The works of Darcey Bella Arnold, Lauren Burrow, Sarah Elson, D Harding, Kate Harding and Zali Morgan offer insights into the intersections of culture, identity and memory.

prints and textiles by Morgan, a Whadjuk, Ballardong and Wilman Noongar artist, honour Yooreel Fanny Balbuk, a Whadjuk Noongar woman whose defiant walk along her traditional bidi (track) persisted amidst the encroaching colonialism that reshaped her Boorloo homelands. Burrow’s sculptures examine the radical life of eco-feminist Val Plumwood, underscoring her enduring legacy and its influence on contemporary artists and thinkers grappling with ecological accountability. Elson’s intricate sculptures evoke the earth as a nurturing mother, employing materials and collecting practices that speak to intergenerational connections to place. Freeman’s distinctive paintings address personal family history, threading memory, nostalgia and connection. Arnold, who has long worked with her mother Jennifer’s experience of living with aphasia, uses painting and language to create poignant forms of memory-making.  And, Bidjara, Ghungalu and Garingbal artists D Harding and Kate Harding carry forward the cultural legacies of their matrilineal ties to the Carnarvon Gorge, working with textiles to honour significant personal experiences, weave stories and uphold cultural traditions.

Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts (PICA)
7 February to 30 March 2025
Western Australia