The Unwritten Country - Simon Normand
Colour Factory Gallery
Friday 03 December 2010 to Friday 28 January 2011
Opening Thursday 02 December 2010 6-8pm
This exhibition of photographs and paintings from the Roper River region, South-East Arnhem Land, surveys the sacred places with unwritten stories that are in imminent danger of being lost.
The Mangarrayi people were handed back over 5000 square kilometres of land around Elsey Station in 2000. Simon Normand is currently working for the Mangarrayi community to record, photograph and produce painted cultural maps about their country. Much of this knowledge is in imminent danger of being lost. This exhibition is a survey of sacred places with unwritten stories that are still known by the Mangarrayi, Alawa, Wagilak and Marra people. These sites are honoured through ceremony and song. Most of these places do not have whitefella names and the oral histories of these sites are precariously held by the Elders and Traditional Owners of this country. They want their knowledge about land preserved for the younger generations.
Simon will be presenting an artists talk on Thursday December 9 at 6.30pm. RSVP by December 2, gallery@colourfactory.com.au, 03 9419 8756.
