The Spinifex Story
Dates
Thursday 5 December | 6.00pm – 8.30pm
5.30pm | Doors open
6pm | Talk
7.15pm | Live performance
Standard | $18
Concession | $16
Membership
Friend Members receive 15% off ticket pricing for this event.
Site access information
WA Museum Boola Bardip is fully accessible. Call 1300 134 081 for assistance. Accessible resources and programs >
The Spinifex Story is one of displacement, homecoming and reconnection. Here, art plays a central role in storytelling.
For the Spinifex People, displaced from their land due to atomic bomb testing, Country remains rich in cultural meaning and ancestral ties. Large-scale collaborative artworks, documenting birthplaces and Dreaming stories, became a pivotal support during the pursuit of native title. These pieces are now recognised as some of the most political works of art produced in Australia, marking the beginning of the Spinifex art movement.
Today Spinifex art is exhibited across the world, acquired by public institutions and private collectors, and appreciated as a unique articulation of the desert landscape, history and heritage of a resilient people.
Discover the community arts practice that emerged alongside the Spinifex People's Native Title Determination. Our panel of speakers will share insights into how this movement evolved from a documentation to a powerful assertion of self determination, cultural identity and artistic expression.
Following the talk, take time to explore the exhibition, grab a drink from our pop-up bar and be moved by the enchanting voice of singer-songwriter Kira Feeney, a Pakana woman who grew up on Wathawurrung land in Victoria.
Meet the speakers
Ross Chadwick is Head of Department, Anthropology and Archaeology at the WA Museum. Ross is the manager of the Museum’s Indigenous Repatriation Program (IRP) that seeks to return Aboriginal Ancestral Remains and significant secret/sacred objects back to their relevant community/custodians, and is responsible for the management and planning of the Department’s Collection Management Information System.
John Carty is a Professor of Museum and Curatorial Studies at the University of Adelaide and Head of Humanities at the South Australian Museum. His position between the two institutions focuses on connecting the collections and contemporary politics of Museums with innovative research. He is also the Humanities and Social Sciences Commissioner for the Australian National Commission to UNESCO.
He has worked extensively with Aboriginal artists and custodians throughout Australia on books, exhibitions and community development programs. His core research has involved working with Aboriginal artists to bridge the divide between anthropology and art history. In recent years, John’s work – through research with the British Museum, National Museum of Australia, and now the South Australian Museum – has grown to focus on the cultural and cross-cultural histories encompassed by objects in museum collections. His projects explore new methodologies and models for bringing Aboriginal voices and values further into mainstream narratives of Australian history, Australian research, and contemporary Australian culture.
Full lineup to be announced
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Explore the rich cultural legacy of the Spinifex People. Discover their enduring connection to Country through stunning artworks, objects, digital projects and film.
