Matriarchal Strength & Resistance

Matriarchal Strength And Resistance  

The Hugh D.T. Williamson Lecture 2024  

Acclaimed Wemba-Wemba & Gunditjmara artist Dr Paola Balla and filmmaker Paola Morabito discuss their collaborative process as cousins and creators of the work Mok Mok Murrup Yakuwa, featured in the current SCI-FI: Mythologies Transformed exhibition at Science Gallery Melbourne. 

Mok Mok Murrup Yakuwa is an immersive film installation referencing the Wemba Wemba story of Mok Mok – a spiritual woman entity and sovereign goddess, played by the artist’s mother Aunty Margie Tang. The work is symbolic of the power of country to heal, of matriarchal strength and resistance.  

 Join the artists as they take us into the fertile ground of family, relational paradigms and how ‘mythologies’ can empower our strength and resistance and remind us of how old our sovereignty is.

Hosted by Matt Coffey, Deadly Science Program Manager at Walter & Eliza Hall Institute, Melbourne.

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Mok Mok Murrup Yakuwa by Paola Balla and Paola Morabito was presented in 2023 in Shadow Spirit curated by Kimberley Moulton. Shadow Spirit was Produced and Commissioned by RISING with co-commissioning partner Illuminate Adelaide. 

This event is proudly supported by The Hugh D.T. Williamson Foundation.  

Please note Auslan interpretation is available on request, for more information see our Access page. 

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About the speakers 

Dr Paola Balla 
Dr Paola Balla is a Wemba Wemba and Gunditjmara woman and acclaimed artist, writer curator and educator. She focuses on Aboriginal women's stories and resistance with a visual practice, encapsulating research, art, memory and narrative realms. Her work centres Aboriginal women’s voices, activism, Sovereignty, and matriarchy and First Nations ways of being, knowing and doing. 

Paola Morabito
Paola is an award-winning writer/director whose unique approach to storytelling involves a beautiful visual style potent in its portrayal of humanity. Paola’s films exhibit visceral intimacy with a strong emotional hook, drawing inspiration from real-life stories. urrently, Paola divides her time between Australia and London and is in the development phase of her first feature film, "The History of Sisters," along with two television projects.