Curated by Hetti Perkins (Arrernte/Kalkadoon) and Jonathan Jones (Wiradjuri/Kamilaroi), SOUTHEAST Aboriginal Arts Market returns to Carriageworks from 19-20 Nov. This year, 32 independent Aboriginal artists will sell hundreds of artworks spanning ceramics, jewellery, weaving, carving, textiles, painting and prints.
Take a sneak peek below at a small selection of the works that will be available throughout the weekend.
Lucy Connelly (Waradgeri): I have been crocheting for the past seventy years after being taught by my Mum, as a young girl. I also learnt pine-needle weaving from Aunty Emma Karpany, wood burning from my Dad, Alfred ‘Knocker’ Williams and emu-egg carving from Uncle Sam Kirby; all of whom were celebrated artists in their own right.
Lorraine Connelly-Northey (Waradgeri): I work with abandoned, failed and forgotten rural materials, fashioning artworks that suggest woven or carved objects of traditional Indigenous culture.
Mitch Mahoney (Boon Wurrung/Barkindji): Making possum skin cloak works taught me the value of story and how our art connects to our cultural heritage. It tells stories of the past whilst also using traditional messages to tell stories of the now.
Kylie McNamara (Kamilaroi): I work across a range of mediums, from painting and drawing to sculpture and ceramics. My work largely depicts the flora and fauna of my home region of Moree, New South Wales.
Jamie-Lea Trindall (Wiradjuri): I love the Southeast. I love that we have beautiful geometric designs, and I’m so proud that it’s uniquely us. It’s such a contemporary art space in the Southeast … our culture’s work is so strong and so beautiful.
Sammy Trist (Taungurung): Creating art is my therapy, it allows me to express my connection and knowledge of my Indigenous Culture through Kulin art.
Kevin ‘Sooty’ Welsh (Wailwan): My contemporary arts practice is based on the ancient carvings of my ancestors that can be found carved on the trees and the land in the region. I make large hand-crafted vases and functional pieces, richly glazed, and marked with unique carved markings.
Nannette Shaw and Fiona Hughes (Trawoolway/Tyereelore/Bunurong): Because we’re island girls, the ocean just calls us … it’s spiritual and it just calms us, revitalises us and gives us energy. Knowing that we have the oldest living culture in the world, and our craftwork and whatever we do, you can’t deny how special it is – it just gives us pride.
Teresa Yasserie (Wiradjuri): My environment has influenced me since I was very young. For the first five years of my life, I was living in a scrub in a tin shack in the bush. Later, I attended Southern Cross University and completed a Bachelor Degree of Visual Arts and became a TAFE Teacher in Aboriginal Arts & Cultural Practices.