Yirranma Place acknowledges that we work, live and play on the stolen land of the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation, who are the traditional custodians of Darlinghurst. Yirranma pays respect to the elders past, present and future of the Eora Nation and extends that respect to other Aboriginal and Torres Strait people.
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Always was, always will be Aboriginal land.
Grandmother’s Mark was made as part of a larger installation called Language of the Wounded, exhibited at Lismore Regional Gallery in 2020. The work refers to the ‘X’ penned by my Aboriginal grandmother as witness on colonial bureaucratic documents, and to the little Bulga, the crucifix frog who has the same marking on his back and emerges from drought after hibernating deep underground in our Country. Grandmother’s Mark evolved out of a deep resignation brought about from decades of witnessing ongoing abuse to our land, to its people and kin. These works are also informed by our land’s sacred ability to heal itself supported by our ancestors’ land-management practices.
Grandmother’s Mark was made as part of a larger installation called Language of the Wounded, exhibited at Lismore Regional Gallery in 2020. The work refers to the ‘X’ penned by my Aboriginal grandmother as witness on colonial bureaucratic documents, and to the little Bulga, the crucifix frog who has the same marking on his back and emerges from drought after hibernating deep underground in our Country. Grandmother’s Mark evolved out of a deep resignation brought about from decades of witnessing ongoing abuse to our land, to its people and kin. These works are also informed by our land’s sacred ability to heal itself supported by our ancestors’ land-management practices.
Wounded Digging Sticks was made as part of a larger installation called Language of the Wounded, exhibited at Lismore Regional Gallery in 2020. Made of white clay, red oxide and pooling glazes, this work sits on the wall like a damaged and ghostly evocation of the shape of mainland Australia. This work, together with Grandmother’s Mark, has evolved out of a deep resignation brought about from decades of witnessing ongoing abuse to our land, to its people and kin. These works are also informed by our land’s sacred ability to heal itself supported by our ancestors’ land-management practices.
Wounded Digging Sticks was made as part of a larger installation called Language of the Wounded, exhibited at Lismore Regional Gallery in 2020. Made of white clay, red oxide and pooling glazes, this work sits on the wall like a damaged and ghostly evocation of the shape of mainland Australia. This work, together with Grandmother’s Mark, has evolved out of a deep resignation brought about from decades of witnessing ongoing abuse to our land, to its people and kin. These works are also informed by our land’s sacred ability to heal itself supported by our ancestors’ land-management practices.
Penny Evans is of Gamilaroi descent. Her mother’s family originates from northern Gomeroi in north-western
New South Wales. Evans has been a practising artist for more than 35 years. Her practice is based on process-
driven enquiry. The focus of her art is always identity, Country and decolonisation. Evans’s artwork creates a
trail over time that marks her decolonising journey back to Country. Her interrogation is through the process
of making, with ideas gathered from many people, places, from Country and kin. Her work is never about one
thing; it is always multilayered. Evans describes her work as a legacy for her children and family.
