WILAM BIIK
In the Woiwurrung language of the Wurundjeri people, Wilam Biik means Home Country.
How do we see Country? How do we listen to Country? How do we connect to Country?
You are called to listen deeply with your ears, eyes and hearts– to understand how First People connect with Wilam Biik.
Wilam Biik is the Soil, the Land, the Water, the Air, the Sky and the Animals that reside within. It is the only home we know, and we honour it for its sacred exchange. A home where Custodial rights and responsibilities never left.
An exhibition of cultural consciousness and knowledge, of an unsevered connection between First Peoples of Southeast Australia and their Country, over thousands of generations.
"Our hope is that you walk away in awe of the beauty of Country, and empowered with a personal sense of connection and responsibility to care for it as we always have." Stacie Piper, First Nations Curator.
Wilam Biik features new work from contemporary artists Paola Balla (Wemba Wemba, Gundjitmara), Deanne Gilson (Wadawurrung), Kent Morris (Barkindji), Glenda Nicholls (Ngarrindjeri and Yorta Yorta), Steven Rhall (Taungurung), Nannette Shaw (Tyereelore, Trawoolway, Bunurong), Kim Wandin (Wurundjeri), Arika Waulu (Gunditjmara, Djapwurrung, Gunnai), Rhiannon Williams (Wakaman, Waradjuri), and the Djirri Djirri Wurundjeri Women’s Dance Group (Wurundjeri, Dja Dja Wurrung, Ngurai Illum-Wurrung).
This project has been assisted by the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria.
NETS Victoria Organisational Partners:
National Exhibitions Touring Support (NETS) Victoria is supported by the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria, by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body, and through the Visual Arts and Craft Strategy, an initiative of the Australian, State and Territory Governments. NETS Victoria also receives significant in-kind support from the National Gallery of Victoria.
Image:Kent Morris (Barkindji), 'Barkindji Blue Sky - Ancestral Connections #4’ 2019, giclee print on rag paper. Edition of 5 + 2AP, 110 x 160 cm. Courtesy of the artist and Vivien Anderson Gallery