Carriers Of Memory 2021

A gathering of women's work celebrating the power of First Nations art as a continuing presence of culture.

Carriers of memory presents new acquisitions from the Museum of Brisbane Collection by First Nations artists: Kim Ah Sam, Kuku Yalanji people and Kalkadoon people; Sonja Carmichael and her daughter Elisa Jane Carmichael, both Ngugi people of Quandamooka; and Kyra Mancktelow, Ngugi and Nunukul people of Quandamooka and Mardigan people of Cunnamulla.

This gathering of women's work celebrates the power of First Nations art as a continuing presence of culture. The featured fibre and textile-based works are grounded in the widespread practice of weaving. The use of materials and techniques woven, and the forms created, evoke memory and experiences of people and place across time.

Across the space, the works resonate with one another: prints are about history and weaving; weavings are about stories; stories are an ode to Ancestors and Country; and Country is embodied in each work. This collection lives beyond the gallery into the world. In making and sharing, artists regenerate and reaffirm the links between the past and those to come.

Words by Freja Carmichael

This exhibition is presented by Museum of Brisbane in collaboration with Quandamooka curator, Freja Carmichael.