Please join us for the exhibition opening of Peta Clancy's 'On Country: presence, past and future' on Saturday 19th October from 3-5pm at Dominik Mersch Gallery.

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PETA CLANCY 'On Country: presence, past and future'
19.10. - 16.11.2024

Peta Clancy is a descendant of the Yorta Yorta people. Two generations ago her family relocated from Yorta Yorta Country to Wurundjeri Country in Naarm, North Melbourne. On Country: presence, past and future explores the agency of Country and photography. The photographs evoke multiple perspectives, timeframes, and complex histories, encompassing loss, resilience, and cultural memory. They express the idea of Country as an archive, which refers to revealing unseen narratives and complex histories. The photographs are created exploring a performative, immersive and embodied process in collaboration with Country.

The exhibition On Country: presence, past and future explores access to Country and private land ownership. brungergalk ba birrarung (2023) depicts the junction of the Brungergalk (Watts River) and Birrarung (Yarra River) on Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country in Healesville, Victoria. A place where Wurundjeri Traditional Custodians have been visiting for millennia. Peta accessed the confluence by walking, with permission from the landowner, through private property that had been owned by the same family for over 100 years. An outcome of the project was Wurundjeri Traditional Custodians walked this part of Country to the confluence for the first time in over 100 years thereby opening up conversation about access to Country. The installation includes a large wallpaper print that features an historic hand-coloured black and white photograph by Nicholas Caire, titled Junction, Yarra and Watts River from around 1880 from the National Gallery of Victoria collection. brungergalk ba birrarung was commissioned by Tarrawarra Museum of Art for The Soils Project in 2023.

The starting point for birrarung/kurrum ba birrarung/dirrabeen (2024) was attempting to photograph where the two waterways Birrarung (Yarra River) and Dirrabeen (Darebin Creek) meet. Access to the confluence was prevented due to private land ownership; golf courses and large private residences. The works were commissioned by the Banyule City Council. The past was a place she couldn't visit was informed through spending time living and working on Yorta Yorta Country during April-August 2024 researching possibilities for creating artwork on Peta’s ancestral Country for the first time.

Peta Clancy acknowledges the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people of the Kulin Nation as Traditional Custodians where she lives. Peta thanks Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Elders for cultural consultation prior to photographing Country and Brooke Wandin for yarning and walking Wurundjeri Country. She acknowledges the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation as Traditional Custodians of the Country where On Country: presence, past and future is taking place. And thanks Les Walkling for digital collaboration.

Image caption: 'birrarung ba brungergalk 4', 2023, pigment inkjet print mounted on DiBond, 150 x 115 cm, edition of 5 + 1 AP