Tuesday 29th October saw the opening of the Matriarch exhibition featuring portraiture by proud Kairi artist, Broc Piazza.
The portraits portray the wisdom, strength, and resilience of Indigenous women. They tell the stories of nine local Indigenous women and were created as an ode of the artist’s gratitude for their guidance and the continual love they share.
“It's the story and emotion behind the drawings which is really important,” Broc said. Broc uses his portraits to freeze a moment in time that allows his sitters to forever share their stories and reflect upon the power of the black matriarch. He carries the legacy of their stories through his artworks and has crafted a dialogue that allows viewers to all feel a part of the experience as though each of the women are there speaking directly to you. Broc described the story behind his portrait of Aunty Narelle Thomas, recollecting that one day she was sitting and sharing the dreamtime story of the butterfly to a group of children. As he watched her passionately engage with her audience a gust of wind blew a foliage of leaves through the air, dancing all around her like butterflies. This vibrancy of this interaction is felt within the artwork.
Aunty Joyce Donovan, another sittee spoke about the honour she felt to have her portrait drawn by Broc. The process allowed her to reflect on her life growing up in Australia as an Indigenous woman, mother, and survivor of domestic violence.
Aunty Joyce recalled. “We never had money but, in saying that we had nothing, and we shared everything. Even though we had nothing financially or materialistically, we had more back then, than what we ever had and what any young person will have today. “
The hardship, challenges, and trauma drove Aunty Joyce to make a difference and to advocate for the rights of women and children in her community, particularly in relation to access to education and speaking out against domestic and sexual violence. Her commitment saw her awarded the NSW Local Hero in the 2008 Australian of the Year Awards, named as finalist for Aboriginal Woman of the Year in 2017, and awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Wollongong in 2023.
“Education was instrumental in my healing, and I like to inspire others that it's never too late to reach for the stars,” Aunty Joyce said.
The exhibition can be viewed in the building 29 Gallery space until Wednesday 11th December and is proudly supported by the Woolyungah Indigenous Centre, Indigenous Strategy Unit and the UOW Art Collection and Gallery.