language to reach with

assembly nights

An 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗹𝘆 𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 for 𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙪𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 being hosted by Moorina Bonini and Tahmina Maskinyar.

Wednesday 16 September, 6:00pm - 7:30pm

“𝘓𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘶𝘱𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘢 𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘵, 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘳 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘓𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦; 𝘣𝘪- 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪-𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘵 𝘢 𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘲𝘶𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘵𝘺.”

Lin Onus, Language and Lasers in Blacklines: Contemporary Critical Writing by Indigenous Australians

The final assembly night will encourage a reconnection with our written languages. Bring your preferred writing tools and be guided through three short writing exercises facilitated Moorina Bonini and Tahmina Maskinyar. This assembly night is for anyone interested in putting your personal words to places, land or Country you are connected with. There will be no expectation to share writing, the gathering is a passage to return to our capacity to write the language we know.

> 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗹𝘆 𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 are communal gatherings around an activity, intended to extend upon the themes of the exhibition.

Free to attend, all are welcome.

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𝗠𝗼𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗮 𝗕𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗶 is a proud descendant of the Yorta Yorta Dhulunyagen family clan of Ulupna and the Yorta Yorta, Wurundjeri and Wiradjuri Briggs/McCrae family. An artist of Aboriginal and Italian heritage, her practice critiques and disrupts Eurocentric frameworks that shape institutional understandings of Indigenous identity.

𝗧𝗮𝗵𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗻𝘆𝗮𝗿 is a curator and writer, born in Kabul and raised near the Djarlgarro Beelier (Canning River) on Whadjuk Noongar Boodja. Guided by a commitment to amplifying the existing capacities of others, she aims to facilitates space for creative practice to flourish and intersect with critical discourse that is anchored in place and informed by global solidarities.

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language to reach with is a propositional exhibition featuring new works by Moorina Bonini (Ulupna, Yorta Yorta, Wurundjeri, Wiradjuri), Nithya Iyer and Chi Tran, curated by Tahmina Maskinyar.

Against the homogenising force of generative AI and the instrumentalisation of language within political rhetoric, each artist offers their personal expression as a critical counterpoint.

The title of the exhibition references Whereas (2017) a book of poetry by Oglala Lakota poet Layli Long Soldier. In this book, Long Soldier instates language’s deep participation in life building, an active force that is strengthened by our attention to it. In the prologue of Whereas, Long Soldier says "...each People has been given their own language to reach with, I understand reaching as active, a motion."

The exhibition runs until 24 October 2026.

Contact the host of language to reach with | assembly night with Moorina Bonini and Tahmina Maskinyar