Manta Miilmiilpa, 2022
C-type print of UV photogram with pearlescent alterations
Edition of 30
70 x 100cm
 
From the earth we come, to the earth we return. My culture allows me to connect deeply with the sacredness of the earth, and see the presence of our ancestors in every aspect of life. This connection to Tjukurpa, the energy that connects us all and permeates every aspect of being, is rarely truly felt by those who don't live in the sacredness of the earth anymore.
 
This 'landscape photograph' is informed by techniques used by the first European explorers that travelled into the heart of our country, capturing glass plate photographs to categorise our land to fit their minds. They collected depictions of country, killing it in the process. They failed to see the true presence of our land, its true sacredness. I am challenging this gaze by exposing UV-sensitive paint with large contact negatives within the landscape. Exposing my prints under the light of the sun, the landscape becomes the storyteller, the ancestors that are still part of the landscape start speaking, and Tjukurpa becomes momentarily tangible.
My artwork changes depending on which angle it is observed from. An ever-changing presence it offers glimpses of a truth we all need to remember: "Manta Miilmiilpa, Sacred Earth".