Curated by Hannah Presley and Samantha Comte, Observance is an exhibition of power, beauty and critical reflection, featuring the art of six First Nations women from the Oceanic region: Julie Dowling (Badimaya) with Karla Dickens (Wiradjuri), Julie Gough (Trawlwoolway), Lisa Hilli (Gunantuna, Tolai people, Papua New Guinea), Betty Muffler (Pitjantjatjara), Angela Tiatia (Samoa).
Through video, painting, sculptural installation, and text-based work, the ongoing impacts of colonial violence, sharing experiences of generational grief for family, language and Country are explored. These challenging narratives, including accounts of slavery and servitude, sit alongside empowering works that reveal the strength of the artist’s living, breathing culture.
Julie Dowling, The Elements: Windhoo (Air), 2008. Photograph: Christian Capurro. © the artist. Courtesy the artist, Niagara Gallery, Melbourne, Yamaji Art, Western Australia and Buxton Contemporary, Melbourne
Buxton Contemporary
10 December 2021 to 8 May 2022
Melbourne
