Burambabirra Yindyamarra: Sharing Respect

This major exhibition was a celebration of the collaboration between Wiradjuri and Ngiyaampa Elders, their communities, and CSU Doctoral candidate Bernard Sullivan. Taking up the central portion of the large space in Wagga Wagga Art Gallery, fourteen screens and a number of large digital prints showcased an extensive selection of the contributing creative works undertaken as part of Bernard’s PhD research.

The exhibition ties together many of the elements from Bernard Sullivan’s PhD research, and stands as companion to the exegesis thesis. It demonstrates a methodology that places the researcher/artist at the service of the participants in the research, centred on the participants’ culture, creating works of value with them, guided by them, with the researcher always grateful for the knowledge generously shared. In keeping with the theme of Yindyamarra, this exhibition is about acknowledging and honouring the life work of a number of senior local Elders and supporting the continuation of the development of their vision for their communities.

Co-curated by Bernard Sullivan, Nives Zalokar, and the Elder artists involved, this unique exhibition is a documentation of the process of cultural and language revitalization taking place in local Aboriginal communities, forming both a contemporary snapshot of a moment of renewal, and a reflection on the contradictory histories, simultaneously harsh and beautiful, that have led us all to this point.