“Naala-ba (look future)” by Merindah Donnelly

Title:

Naala-ba (look future)

Artist(s) and People Involved:

Exhibiting Artist(s):



• Merindah Donnelly

Symposium:

• ISEA2013: 19th International Symposium on Electronic Art

Artist Statement:

ISEA2013 and Carriageworks present:

Naala-Ba, which in Dharug language (dharug.dalang.com.au) is an apt description of the three works presented here for ISEA2013. The works span from the desert country of the Pilbara in Western Australia, depicting fearsome ancestral stories; back across the continent to the metropolitan hub of Brisbane, Queensland’s capital city, and portrayals of the ongoing fight against neo-colonial oppression; then down to the NSW central plains in Riverina country, to gain an insight into some of the matriarchal customs and rituals that refuse to be bowed by the impact of colonisation. Everything in Naala-ba is a contemporary representation of the world’s oldest living culture – our culture – Aboriginal Australia – the First Nations of this land.