In conversation with Whadjuk Balladong Wilman Yorga, Carrolup Curator JCG, Zali Morgan.

Once Known Truth Talks invite not only remembrance, but reckoning – creating a space where shared history can be discussed honestly, and where truth supports healing, education, and ongoing cultural continuity.

In this talk, Zali Morgan considers how truth can be held and communicated through art, exhibition-making, and institutional responsibility. For many years, First Nations culture, stories and art have been told and interpreted through Western and anthropological lenses, resulting in forms of othering that misrepresent lived realities and cultural knowledge.

From a curatorial perspective, truth-telling requires a shift away from extractive and authoritative narratives, toward practices grounded in cultural accountability, relationality, and listening. Drawing on her work with the Carrolup Collection, Zali explores how curators can create space for First Nations voices to lead. Truth in art is not singular or static; it is lived, layered, and ongoing, shaped by Country, community, and lived experience.

Once Known at the Old Perth Boys’ School presents reproductions of the delicate and culturally significant artworks created by Aboriginal children forcibly taken from their families and detained at the Carrolup Native Settlement in the 1940s. Lost overseas for over 60 years, these artworks came home to Noongar Boodja, providing the opportunity for sharing truth, healing, and reconciliation.

Supported By: Lotterywest and the City of Perth

Exhibition open as part of Boorloo Heritage Festival: 1 April - 30 April

Header Image: Once Known at 139 St Georges Terrace. Photo by Marnie Richardson.

Contact the host of Truth Talk: Telling Our Truth

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