Solo First Nations artists take pride of place at Djaa Djuwima

FIRST Nations gallery Djaa Djuwima in Pall Mall has launched a trio of back-to-back exhibitions celebrating the works of artists Aunty Gertrude Gittins, Aunty Beryl Gay and Lynette Fagan.

Their Stories: A Solo Series is being offered as an opportunity for the artists to let people view their ideas, stories, techniques and cultural connections as part of an evolving and sophisticated artistic language.

Djaa Djuwima Curator and City of Greater Bendigo First Nations arts officer Michellie Charvat said the exhibitions are an opportunity for the local community and visitors to experience the deeper cultural influences that inspire the artists’ creativity.

“Each of the three exhibitions continues long traditions of storytelling, celebrating the individual artists’ creativity and expressing their cultural strength,” she said.

“(They) uphold the artist’s voice, grounded in Country, informed by personal lived experience, and shaped by the deep cultural knowledge passed down through generations.

“The series also contributes to the ongoing reshaping of the Australian art landscape, led by First Nations creators.”

The free exhibitions open daily from 9am to 4.30pm at Djaa Djuwima, which means to ‘show, share Country’ in Dja Dja Wurrung language, in the Bendigo Visitor Centre, 51-67 Pall Mall.

Aunty Gertrude is currently exhibiting until 30 March, Aunty Beryl Gay will exhibit from 31 March to 4 April and Lynette Fagan from 5 April to 9 June.

Djaa Djuwima is Bendigo’s dedicated space for First Nations artists to exhibit their works, no matter where they are on their journey – from emerging creatives through to well-established practitioners.