Hear from a selection of artists featured in this year’s Revealed exhibition who have travelled from regional and remote arts centres as well as local stories from Nyoongar artists and independent artists living in Walyalup | Fremantle and Boorloo | Perth. Facilitated by Clothilde Bullen
These talks will share fascinating insights into the artists’ practices and the stories behind the making of their artworks.
Panel 1: Independent artists
1:00-1:45pm
Shannon Clohessy
Shannon grew up between Perth and Busselton. After studying environmental science in Perth, she moved back down to Busselton, spending her time reconnecting to Country and assisting her family as a Wadandi custodian. She focuses her time working at the interface of cultural and contemporary environmental management. Drawing on her experiences growing up, and the connection she has always had to places along the coast, Shannon’s work is intrinsically linked to family, Country and the salt water. Shannon specialises in glass, acrylics, carved wood, clay and the weaving of natural fibres in her work on Country.
Jacinta Taylor
Jacinta Taylor is a Boorloo based artist who uses her practice to research the ongoing legacy and impact of colonisation and religion upon first nations people.
“This artwork starts with an old newspaper article pasted on the side about my great grandparents Sarah Niblichan and Alfred Cuimara 50th wedding anniversary. This artwork explores the lasting impact of colonisation and religion upon descendants like myself and those lasting impacts.”
Jessica Allen
Jessica Allen is a self-taught photographer. In her work she uses photography to capture the landscape and people of her small down cmmunity in Ieramugadu/Roebourne where she has lived for most of her life. She describes her photography as an integral aspect to her life “My life as a photographer has shaped me into the person I’ve become, with the support of my people in this community and I’d like to return that favour and give my elders a voice, to share through my photography.”
Melissa Riley
Melissa Riley is an artist living and working on Wardandi Country in South West WA. She has a passion for sharing Noongar art through stories, land, songlines and memories and uses her art to communicate her own interpretation of nature.
“My art story consists of my interpretation of nature, how happy nature is, and how good it is to be connected with nature and the land. Being able to ground your soul with nature so that we can be mentally and emotionally strong. “
Celeste Haji-Ali
Celeste Haji-Ali is a young Yawuru woman based in Boorloo (Perth) whose painting practice responds to memories of the Kimberley. Much of her work is about the cyclical nature of time, and its relationship with the land and her ancestors. Art has been a part of her life from a very young age; “I have been painting since I was young, as my father was an artist, so he has been a big influence on my art. I like to paint things that remind me of the Kimberley.”
Panel 2: Arts Centre Artists
3:30-4:15pm
Nagula Jarndu
Cecilia Tigan
Cecilia was born on Yawuru country (Broome) and grew up on Mayala country on the Dampier Peninsula, WA. Cecilia loves to spend time on her sea country, fishing and hunting for sea food such as turtle, dugong, crabs, oysters and other shellfish. Cecilia has just started her journey as an artist at Nagula Jarndu and her current work focuses particularly on block printing as a means of representing the salt water creatures that are a part of her daily life.
Dena Gower
Dena was born on Balladong and Wadjuk Country and grew up on Wilman Country in Narrogin. Here she spent time learning from her elders and visually recording this knowledge in her art, teaching herself how to paint with acrylics on canvas. Dena married into Yawuru family and moved to Rubibi, Broome with her family in 2022 and joined Nagula Jarndu to continue her art practice and connect with like minded women. Dena’s printing style is very loose and joyous and her work speaks to her happy disposition and the generous spirit she brings to the art centre each day. She tells stories about important aspects of her time growing up on Noongar Wadjuk in Narrogin. She is particulalry drawn to the animals and plants from her country and the spiritual connections between all living forms.
Yarliyil Arts
Diedre Butters
Deirdre is Jaru on her mother’s side and Kija through her father and was born in 1987. She grew up in Halls Creek often going bush with her family camping, fishing and hunting. Deirdre has been visiting the Yarliyil Art Centre and watching the artists paint since she was a child. At eight she won a statewide art competition and her painting was hung at the Princess Margaret Hospital in Perth. Deirdre paints with acrylics in both traditional & contemporary styles. She won the overall winner category of the Derby Art prize in 2023 for her painting Desert Aurora.
Mangkaja Arts
Phyllis Wade
Phyllis Waye is a Wongi woman from the Goldfields in Laverton W.A who lives and works in the Bayulu community near Fitzroy Crossing.
“I paint my mothers and fathers country as well as my grandfathers and grandmothers country from stories they have told me. I paint this country to bring back memories from when we were kids growing up in the desert. I paint this country and the waterholes where my people lived many years ago.”
Yinjaa Barni
Renee Wally
Renee is an Yindjibarndi woman who started painting in the year 2021. She has a natural flair when painting and using colours to interpret her Country onto the canvas. Although she has just begun her painting journey, her works have become popular. Renee likes to paint her country over a secret layer of Pilbara earth which add a lovely texture to her works.
Renee often paints the Pilbara landscape with her bold and unique, figurative style. She accurately captures the colours of the Pilbara, the reds of the earth and the golden spinifex.
