Tarrawarra Biennial
Enter islands, rivers, mangroves and seas anew.
TarraWarra Biennial 2023: ua usiusi faʻavaʻasavili
Curated by Dr Léuli Eshrāghi
April 1 - July 16
Regina Pilawuk Wilson (Ngan’gikurunggurr, Marrithyel); Vicki West (trawlwoolway); Sonja Carmichael (Quandamooka) and Elisa Jane Carmichael (Quandamooka); The Unbound Collective: Ali Gumillya Baker (Mirning), Faye Rosas Blanch (Mbararam, Yidinyji), Natalie Harkin (Narungga), Simone Ulalka Tur (Yankunytjatjara); Jenna Lee (Gulumerridjin, Wardaman, KarraJarri); Abdul-Rahman Abdullah; Hoda Afshar; Elyas Alavi; Torika Bolatagici; Dr Kirsten Lyttle (Tainui Waikato); Phuong Ngo; Bhenji Ra; David Sequeira; Sancintya Mohini Simpson; and Dr Leyla Stevens.
Ua usiusi faʻavaʻasavili – an alagāʻupu, Sāmoan proverb means ‘the canoe obeys the wind’. The proverb is demonstrative of Great Ocean celestial navigation practices, following centuries of European and Asian colonial occupations. These practices teach the interconnectedness of humans and islands, reefs, stars, suns, moons, currents, winds and all other beings.
Bringing this lens to the exhibition, the TarraWarra Biennial 2023 imparts to audiences the wish that humility towards living beings and storied places might generate more neighbourly exchanges and resolutely joyful futures.
