Marlene and Deanne Gilson
Saturday, August 04, 2012 -
Sunday, September 09, 2012,
9:00 AM -
5:00 PM
Timken Community Gallery
Admission: Free
Welcome to our Country (Ngardang baap yarrang) - Mother and
Daughter - Wathaurung (Wadawurrung) Dreaming
Marlene Gilson is a Wathaurung Elder and Traditional Owner of
the area that encompasses Ballarat, Skipton, Geelong, Werribee,
Oueenscliff and Torquay. She is a self-taught artist who explores
Aboriginal myth and Dreamtime stories through her works which are
marked by a naive style coupled with a spiritual link to her
ancestors. As she lives on her country the stories have special
significance to her as they create the link to culture that is
dying with each generation. Special places of importance to her are
Lal Lal Falls, the final resting place of Bunjil the Eagle, and
Black Hill, where the creation story began.
Her works in this exhibition focus on images of Bunjil the Eagle
who created all Aboriginal men and women. Bunjil the Eagle and
Creator Spirit was also accompanied by Waa the Crow, who scattered
the people all over the Australian landscape. The Wathaurung people
believe that Waa is the spirit of their ancestors and the eagle and
the crow are their totems.
Marlene's daughter Deanne Gilson is also a proud Wathaurung
woman and Traditional Owner. She is a multimedia visual artist who
works primarily with clay and paint in order to explore the
metaphorical aspects of the figure and form. She has incorporated
her recent experience in working as a Cultural Field Officer
alongside archaeologists doing land surveys on her ancestral land
by undertaking visual documentation of artefacts.
Their aim in this joint exhibition is to help keep their culture
alive and pass on their stories for future generations to come.