Myall Creek and beyond

the witness tree by Judy Watson, 2018, video installation, muslin cloth, charcoal, ochre, gate posts

On the afternoon of Sunday 10 June 1838, a group of eleven convicts and ex-convict stockmen led by a squatter, brutally slaughtered a group of twenty-eight Aboriginal men, women and children who were camped peacefully at the station of Myall Creek in the New England region.  180 years after these events a group of Indigenous contemporary artists created works which explore the issues and complexities of this significant historic event and its aftermath locally and nationally.

Myall Creek and beyond was two years in development by the New England Regional Art Museum working with guest curator Bianca Beetson and features work by artists Robert Andrew, Fiona Foley, Julie Gough, Colin Isaacs, Jolea Isaacs,  David and Tim Leha with Quarralia Knox, Laurie Nilsen, Judy Watson, Warraba Weatherall, as well as the Myall Creek Gathering Cloak made by members of the local community working with Carol McGregor.  

“The artists selected for this exhibition were chosen due to their ability to create work which deepens the conversation,” said Guest Curator Bianca Beetson. “All of them, in different ways, interrogate dialogues surrounding Aboriginal massacres, frontier wars and hidden histories, whether it’s through the artists creating work which responds to the place ‘Myall Creek’, or the artist’s broader response to issues surrounding Australia’s frontier history.”

Myall Creek and beyond is a partnership between the New England Regional Art Museum and the Friends of Myall Creek Memorial and the touring exhibition has been supported by Visions of Australia. 

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be aware that this exhibition contains images, and names of deceased persons.

 

 

This exhibition is free and open to the public during Gallery hours; Tuesday to Friday 10.30AM – 3.00PM
All attendees must sign-in using Check-In Canberra App

Updated:  13 May 2021/Responsible Officer:  Head of School/Page Contact:  CASS Marketing & Communications