Weaving a tale of cultural connection

WADAWURRUNG artist Tammy Gilson’s country, culture, and memories are woven around the walls of the Art Gallery of Ballarat’s Backspace as part of her first solo exhibition.

The show called Beenyak features 13 woven pieces from Gilson who took to the craft in about 2010.

Concurrently displaying her works in the Koorie Heritage Trust’s Blak Design project, she said her homebased creations are about the interweaving connection between culture and identity.

“I’ve worked in cultural heritage and now I’m a cultural fire officer so looking at country and different resources, it all combines into the one,” she said.

“It’s a bit of an acknowledgement and a way to gain respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

“I’m really excited to have this be my first solo exhibition. I feel like something’s awoken inside me and I can showcase what I’ve learned over my lifetime.”

The title of the exhibition was inspired by the artistic process of weaving, with been referring to the separation of fibrous materials and yak meaning to wrap and protect.

Beenyak launched just prior to NAIDOC Week and a centrepiece of the show pays homage to eel traps at Lake Burrumbeet, which like the exhibition as a whole holds a personal connection for Gilson.

“When I was a kid me and my brother would go out to the reservoir at Gordon to catch eels, and I never imagined that one day I’d be making eel traps,” Ms Gilson said.

“We did a flow study on our waterway and I was asked to make an eel trap for a cultural fishing day which ignited my passion for them. They’re always moving, like they’re mimicking a lifeform.

“What I’ve created is almost giving that life back to country and me, showcasing my identity and showing our practices are still here.”

The heart of the eel trap piece is complemented by a projected water pattern from an artwork by Tammy’s sister and fellow artist Dr Deanne Gilson.

Other works include a possum tail scarf and a recreation of a basket part of the Von Steiglitz collection at the Museum of Ireland.

Beenyak will be on show until Sunday 13 August.