Canberra based Indigenous artists Lyndy Delian, Jenni Kemarre Martiniello, Belinda McDowell and Renee Smith exhibit in EarthWeave, where they explore their connection to the land through the medium of glass.
The exhibition, which opens at the Canberra Glassworks this weekend, coincides with National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee (NAIDOC) week, held from 3-10 July 2011, which celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.
Land is a significant symbol and defining aspect of Indigenous cultural identity. Earth reflects the artist’s personal connection to and expression of the land. Weave traces the history of Indigenous art, craft and design, reflecting on the evolution from traditional process to contemporary developments. In this way EarthWeave allows the artists a forum for new expression and bridges the gap between traditional, cultural and modern practice.
In exploring their association with land, the artists stimulate an immediate connection to their heritage by using recollections of story, memory and experience to reinforce this connection.
EarthWeave will be opened at 2:00pm on Saturday 9th July by guest speaker Dr Louise Hamby, Lecturer, Research School of Humanities and the Arts, Australian National University.
Photograph: Jenni Kemarre Martiniello, Weereewa Triptych, 2011, kiln fused glass. Courtesy of the artist.
