The artist behind a possum cloak, one of the many works in Nyanda exhibition in Hyphen's Artspace Gallery, has shared the story behind the mixed media piece.
Dr Treahna Hamm's Natural Environment and Spirituality of the River (Wodonga, 2021) draws the eye within the exhibition, the 102cm x 187cm work laid out on a horizontal plinth.
The Two Moths and the Flowers of the Mountain is the story that accompanies the work and has now been read by Yorta Yorta woman Tiffany Ward, from the story shared by Aunty June Baker and retold by Uncle Francis Firebrace (Yorta Yorta).
It tells the story of two moths - Bogong and Myee - and their colours and their link to mountains full of beautiful colours.
The Nyanda exhibition acknowledges and celebrates Australia’s First Nations People as the first artists and storytellers through the merging of traditional and contemporary art practices including painting, weaving, costume, sculpture and handmade fibre work.
Nyanda - the Dhudhuroa word for ”many” - is a collection of artworks from four contemporary Aboriginal woman who explore their personal stories about place and identity.
Bethany Thornber (Wiradjuri), Hamm (Yorta Yorta), Tegan Murdock (Barkindji-Maraura, Dhudhuroa, Yorta Yorta) and Trish Cerminara (Gamilaori) share narratives of past, present and future, through their use of both traditional and unique contemporary art practices including painting, weaving, costume and sculpture.Exploring personal and unique connections to place, the artists share their unique narratives of Dreaming, tradition, identity and memory that make us question our own connections to place - where we have come from and where we are going.