Grounded in Time and in Place, of Time and of Place

A place holds traces of time, recording movements, landmarks, relationships, and experiences; each trace is imbued with wisdom.

The title of this collection exhibition was drawn from Jeanine Leanne’s poem Nginha, currently installed throughout MAMA, detailing connection to place across expanses of time. The exhibition brought together works that prompted consideration of intimate relationships with the land we inhabit, whether in the form of a lament, a monument, a reflection or an act of resistance, and provided space to breathe, to move, and to understand.

The artworks that were gathered here include work by Wiradjuri and Yorta Yorta artists, work by artists with a deep connection to the region, and work made locally. Collectively the artworks invited reflection on environmental and cultural disruptions caused by colonisation and industrialisation and highlighted the role the Museum’s collection plays in representing local dialogues whilst also contributing to the development of wider-ranging, national narratives.

Grounded in Time and in Place, of Time and of Place considered the potential of art to reclaim and rebuild, to preserve traditional and collective identity, to reconfigure past wisdom for the present and to redefine a new shared world.

Featured artists: Brook Garru Andrew, Darren Wighton, Lorraine Connelly-Northey, Nat Ward, Nicole Welch, Nicole Foreshew, Robyn Heckenberg and Treahna Hamm.