Navigating the Tides

Group show: Proximity. 
Friday 10 June - Sunday 10 July, 2016
Three O'Clock Gallery

Project description

Navigating the Tides is a memorial to the Wurundjeri who lost their lives in the little known Frontier Wars: the disparate drawn-out clash between white settlers and indigenous Aboriginals. For at least 40,000 years Aboriginals were the only people of this land. Despite their status as the oldest living culture on earth, barely a trace of their contribution to this now densely populated site at Southbank remains. As we grapple with reconciling our past with our future: the zeitgeist that guided the frontier wars is yet to be navigated and formally recognized. This skull was created in sorrow and solidarity, and represents just one of the 20,000 aboriginal lives lost in the frontier wars; who traversed the tides of colonization with devastating and tragic consequences. 

This artwork is exhibited at Three O’Clock Gallery on the traditional country of the Wurundjeri people, and was completed with cultural consultation from Wurundjeri Tribe Elders. It’s creation was inspired by artist Fred Fowler's vision to create 20,000 skulls to create a tangible memorial to Aboriginal lives lost in the Frontier Wars.

Presented by

Three O'Clock Gallery
RMIT University