mudunama kundana wandaraba jarribirri: Judy Watson

feminism | a bleeding of the consciousness Some of Watson's earliest works are explicitly feminist in nature. Usually signified by conch or cowrie shells, dillybags, vessels, and even shields, the feminism in her practice transcends the creation of artworks; it is entrenched in the collaborative nature of many of her projects and Watson's holding the proverbial 'door' open to peers and mentees. Early lithographs A Suburban Wash 1981 and bottled meat and other meaningful images 1981 deviate from Watson's otherwise abstract aesthetic. Here, monochromatic photo-lithographs have been hand-coloured and collaged, recounting memories of Acacia Ridge's 1970s suburbia, Queenslander cottages, hot summers and long horizons. The triangular magenta 'spills' on both sheets interrupt these otherwise domestic scenes. Are the splatters sinister? Where did the blood come from? The red ochres could even be symbolic of Waanyi Country, the gorge cliffs or the prominent termite mounds found in the far north. Originally created for temporary display at Sydney International Airport's arrivals forecourt, Watson's walama 2000 installation of 17 bronze termite mounds and upturned dillybag forms evoke the landscape of the Gulf Country. These forms range in size from 30 centimetres to 1.5 metres in height, and the dillybags were created in collaboration with master-weaver Susan Marawarr in Maningrida, Northern Territory, internationally recognised for her hand-dyed pandanus creations. Each mound has its own characteristics — a jaunted lean, dimples, patinaed colouration — and was created to welcome overseas guests and greet those returning home. Their relationship to the place of Sydney Airport was disjointed in a way: the forms are not of the Nation they were made to be shown on, but talk to stories from thousands of kilometres away. In a very literal way, walama could be a comment on the Indigenous diaspora within this country, or a means to reconcile history and place locally; 'walama' is the Eora word for 'to return'. The tow row 2016 public artwork at the entrance to GOMA, on the other hand, was site-specific in its conception and created with stringmaking and weaving assistance by Quandamooka artist Elisa Jane Carmichael. Based on fishing nets local to the region, this sculpture is a larger-than-life reminder that busy South Brisbane has a thriving Aboriginal history and future. walama (detail) 2000 OPPOSITE A Suburban Wash 1981 57