Molwa

(shadow)

A portrait photograph of a eucalyptus tree photographed at mid-shot. A native fern is shown next to the tree and the Yarra River can be seen behind the tree on the horizon. There is a shadow of a woman on the tree.A landscape photograph of native trees and shrubbery on Wurundjeri Country. The Yarra River is pictured also with a blue sky. A shadow of a woman can be seen casted on a native bush.A portrait of a eucalyptus tree photographed at mid-shot. A native fern is shown next to the tree and the Yarra River can be seen behind the tree on the horizon. There is a shadow of a woman on the tree.

To Woka

(Country)

Reed Yarns

Alice's Cryptic Crossword

A sketch outline of a butterfly.

Across →

2. Strange endemic needs healing (8)
7. First of all, some apples pies are sticky (3)
8. Always was always will be! (10,4)
9. South Australian Lieutenant is outback, sourcing some edible plants (8)
10. Citric and chewy (5,3)
12. I heard it on the radio… (5)
13. 8 watt lead lamp pieces of bright yellow plant (6)
14. Underwater creature on the outskirts of easel (3)
15. Spooner said you and me on noon? It’s a classic! (4,4)

Down ↓

1. Where the heart is! (4)
3. Chuck is absolutely beaming with it (7,5)
4. Lee’s Dead!? Sounds like you have that the wrong way around… (6)
5. Tree tops at the start of canoe, bottom half is droopy (6)
6. Funny yacht named Morgan, and she won the gold (5,7)
9. Spear it! I heard they were high (6)
11. Blakfullas leading more out bush (3)
I want to cheat

Alice's Cryptic Crossword

A hand drawn outline of a butterfly.
I want to cheat

Alice's Cryptic Crossword

A sketch outline of a butterfly.
I want to cheat

Alice's Cryptic Crossword

A sketch outline of a butterfly.
I want to cheat

on the buttercup creek

←
→
A hand drawn outline of a banner that says 'LAND BACK'.
A series of nine cyanotypes depicting elements of Taungurung Country. A blue background sits behind the white-ish blue impression of gum leaves, strips of stringybark, silver wattle leaves, bark, two types of fern leaves, and tiny gumnuts attached to their branch. The images are placed in a grid.
A series of nine cyanotypes depicting elements of Taungurung Country. A blue background sits behind the white-ish blue impression of gum leaves, strips of stringybark, silver wattle leaves, bark, two types of fern leaves, and tiny gumnuts attached to their branch. The images are placed in a grid.
A series of nine cyanotypes depicting elements of Taungurung Country. A blue background sits behind the white-ish blue impression of gum leaves, strips of stringybark, silver wattle leaves, bark, two types of fern leaves, and tiny gumnuts attached to their branch. The images are placed in a grid.
A series of nine cyanotypes depicting elements of Taungurung Country. A blue background sits behind the white-ish blue impression of gum leaves, strips of stringybark, silver wattle leaves, bark, two types of fern leaves, and tiny gumnuts attached to their branch. The images are placed in a grid.
A series of nine cyanotypes depicting elements of Taungurung Country. A blue background sits behind the white-ish blue impression of gum leaves, strips of stringybark, silver wattle leaves, bark, two types of fern leaves, and tiny gumnuts attached to their branch. The images are placed in a grid.
A series of nine cyanotypes depicting elements of Taungurung Country. A blue background sits behind the white-ish blue impression of gum leaves, strips of stringybark, silver wattle leaves, bark, two types of fern leaves, and tiny gumnuts attached to their branch. The images are placed in a grid.
A series of nine cyanotypes depicting elements of Taungurung Country. A blue background sits behind the white-ish blue impression of gum leaves, strips of stringybark, silver wattle leaves, bark, two types of fern leaves, and tiny gumnuts attached to their branch. The images are placed in a grid.
A series of nine cyanotypes depicting elements of Taungurung Country. A blue background sits behind the white-ish blue impression of gum leaves, strips of stringybark, silver wattle leaves, bark, two types of fern leaves, and tiny gumnuts attached to their branch. The images are placed in a grid.
A series of nine cyanotypes depicting elements of Taungurung Country. A blue background sits behind the white-ish blue impression of gum leaves, strips of stringybark, silver wattle leaves, bark, two types of fern leaves, and tiny gumnuts attached to their branch. The images are placed in a grid.

glass made eyes

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→

fresh water spirit. she watched and brought cold depths to a wooden house in Eltham. Wurundjeri-willam. 2023.

A Cure for Distance

A hand written letter. The text is white on a bright red/orange background.

Dear Distance TODAY


I'll often say at the start of any artist talk I do “I am about as far away as I can get without leaving the mainland”. 

You, Distance, are a familiar feeling, it's an ache that I’ve grown used to carrying with me. 

I felt you - when my family moved to and then away from Gulumerridjin Country (Darwin). 

I felt you -  when I left my parent's home in the Lockyer Vallery to study at University in Meanjin (Brisbane). 

I felt you - when my partner and I packed up our lives to go on an adventure, living and working in London.

I felt you - when my parents and all my siblings moved to and were together in Ngunnawal Country (Canberra).

I felt you - when I moved to Naarm in June 2020 just before we went back into lockdown and couldn’t see the family and friends I have all over the nation.

I felt you - when I lived in Kyoto for 2 months away from my partner and poodle. 




And I feel you now.

Hand drawn sketch of 1 persimmons, a round fruit.
A hand written letter. The text is white on a bright red/orange background.

Distance, you are a pain I carry always. 

But as for many aches and pains, I have found that there are cures. 

I write to tell you, that I have gathered and documented these tried and tested cures for you.

These cures are most effective when immediately gathered, made and consumed at first ache.

These cures will fill the inflicted with a sense of closeness and comfort. 

A cup of tea - drunk together. 

A spicy laksa - slurped and savoured. 

A bag of persimmons - cut and enjoyed.



Sincerely, The Homesick.

Outlined sketch of the Aboriginal flag.

Cure 1:
Cup of tea time

A scanned image of a mug, a few biscuits and tea bags. They sit on a contrasting black background. Outlined sketch of a teabag.

Cure 2:
Big Bowl of Laksa

A scanned image of various ingredients for Laksa such as bean sprouts, ginger, coriander, chillies, lime, coconut milk, curry paste. A cutout of a biscuit. It is light brown, and rectangle shaped with curved edges.

Cure 3:
Persimmons from my sisters garden

A scanned image of 10 bright red persimmons sitting on a black background. Persimmons are a vivid orange/red round fruit, with a green stem.
A scanned image of a mug, a few biscuits and tea bags. They sit on a contrasting black background.

Cure 1:
Cup of tea time

Outlined sketch of a teabag.

Cure 2:
Big Bowl of Laksa

A scanned image of various ingredients for Laksa such as bean sprouts, ginger, coriander, chillies, lime, coconut milk, curry paste. A cutout of a biscuit. It is light brown, and rectangle shaped with curved edges. A scanned image of 10 bright red persimmons sitting on a black background. Persimmons are a vivid orange/red round fruit, with a green stem.

Cure 3:
Persimmons from my sisters garden

A cutout of a Dilmah teabag.
An outlined drawing of a pot of food, a spoon and bowls. There are steam marks coming from the pot, and it says 'BIG FEED'. A cutout of a shiny metal spoon.

Cookin' with mum

Cooking is not only for nourishment or survival. Cooking is also a way to connect with family, for celebration, ceremony, traditions and spirit.  

Close up of a dining table with a light canvas table cloth. There's a big silver bowl filled with thai green curry, a bowl of rice, some greens and wine glasses. Maya stands behind the table smiling.

Everyone says their mum is the best cook they know. Well, my mum is the best cook I know. The way she was able to feed us kids as an artist while trying to look after herself is a type of survival Aboriginal women know all too well. Mum learnt how to cook from her foster parent Aunty Tessie, a Bangladeshi woman. She wanted to give mum skills in looking after herself and cooking came naturally. I have fond memories of mums curry wafting into the loungeroom. 

Bowls of rice and chicken. 
Creamy tuna pasta. 
Curried sausages and mash.
Orange cake. 
Upside-down apple cake.
Salad and sausages.

Close up of a dining table with a light canvas table cloth. There's a big silver bowl filled with thai green curry, a bowl of rice, some greens and wine glasses.

Sometimes my brother and I used to search the house for coins so we could afford a bag of hot chips from the corner shop.

Wide angle shot of Maya cooking at the kitchen. There are pots on the stove, a chopping board, knife and spoons. Maya is looking at the camera smiling.

I remember we bought a watermelon from the Turkish family across the road. We loved buying fruit and vegetables from those old fullas. They grew their own produce and sold it from their carport. On our way home, us kids dropped it on the netball courts. It was the height of summer and the ants were onto us. So we ran home and got spoons and cracked the watermelon open and gobbled it all up.

A close up of a brown bowl filled with green beans, another with coriander and chopped spring onions.

Aunty Karen would cook for us all the time. I still remember her clear-glass plates and yellow-glass mugs. Us kids loved when she’d make Grandpa’s Chicken. Chicken with a rich gravy sauce over rice or mash (depending on who cooked it). We’d sit at the kitchen table ready for dinner, excited for our Grandpa’s Chicken. I think Aunty Karen still has the same kitchenware and that gives me comfort that some things still remain the same.

A close up of Mayas face while she looks down as she's cooking. There is steam flowing up in the dark background.

I’ve always loved baking. I’d bake with my mum and Nanna. My cousins don’t like cake - but one of my cousins love my mums orange cake. That’s the only cake she really liked to eat.

A wide shot of a dining table with a light canvas table cloth. There's a big silver bowl filled with thai green curry, a bowl of rice, some greens and wine glasses.

The Pizza Cafe in Mildura is where we used to spend everyone’s birthday dinner. They used to put down butchers paper on the tabletop and give us kids crayons to draw as we eat. By the end of the meal the paper was strewn with pizza toppings, glass rings from wine glasses and jumbled colourful messes of crayon creations. I would look forward to being surrounded by the buzz of going out with my family, the iconic Italian food scene of Mildura and the crayons without any creative bounds. No section of that table would be left blank by the time us kids were done with it.

Close up of Maya cooking green chicken curry. A big silver pot is pictured with her arm stiring the pot with a wooden spoon.

Making the green chicken curry for my friends is something I don’t do very often but its one of the most loving things you can do. 
‍
I love the way cooking a meal brings people into my home and kitchen. Gives us sustenance, conversation, connection and warmth. That’s what cooking is all about. So I cook and I bake and this time in solitude allows me to remember old memories growing up in Mildura, about my family, my mum and how I can share a special moment over a piece of cake with my best friends.

A close up of a spoon and knife sitting on a chopping board.
Mum’s Green Chicken Curry Recipe

Cookin' with mym

Cooking is not only for nourishment or survival. Cooking is also a way to connect with family, for celebration, ceremony, traditions and spirit.

Close up of a dining table with a light canvas table cloth. There's a big silver bowl filled with thai green curry, a bowl of rice, some greens and wine glasses. Maya stands behind the table smiling.

Everyone says their mum is the best cook they know. Well, my mum is the best cook I know. The way she was able to feed us kids as an artist while trying to look after herself is a type of survival Aboriginal women know all too well. Mum learnt how to cook from her foster parent Aunty Tessie, a Bangladeshi woman. She wanted to give mum skills in looking after herself and cooking came naturally. I have fond memories of mums curry wafting into the loungeroom. 

Bowls of rice and chicken. 
Creamy tuna pasta. 
Curried sausages and mash.
Orange cake. 
Upside-down apple cake.
Salad and sausages.

Close up of a dining table with a light canvas table cloth. There's a big silver bowl filled with thai green curry, a bowl of rice, some greens and wine glasses.

Sometimes my brother and I used to search the house for coins so we could afford a bag of hot chips from the corner shop.

Wide angle shot of Maya cooking at the kitchen. There are pots on the stove, a chopping board, knife and spoons. Maya is looking at the camera smiling.

I remember we bought a watermelon from the Turkish family across the road. We loved buying fruit and vegetables from those old fullas. They grew their own produce and sold it from their carport. On our way home, us kids dropped it on the netball courts. It was the height of summer and the ants were onto us. So we ran home and got spoons and cracked the watermelon open and gobbled it all up.

A close up of a brown bowl filled with green beans, another with coriander and chopped spring onions.

Aunty Karen would cook for us all the time. I still remember her clear-glass plates and yellow-glass mugs. Us kids loved when she’d make Grandpa’s Chicken. Chicken with a rich gravy sauce over rice or mash (depending on who cooked it). We’d sit at the kitchen table ready for dinner, excited for our Grandpa’s Chicken. I think Aunty Karen still has the same kitchenware and that gives me comfort that some things still remain the same.

A close up of Mayas face while she looks down as she's cooking. There is steam flowing up in the dark background.

I’ve always loved baking. I’d bake with my mum and Nanna. My cousins don’t like cake - but one of my cousins love my mums orange cake. That’s the only cake she really liked to eat.

A wide shot of a dining table with a light canvas table cloth. There's a big silver bowl filled with thai green curry, a bowl of rice, some greens and wine glasses.
Mum’s Green Chicken Curry Recipe

The Pizza Cafe in Mildura is where we used to spend everyone’s birthday dinner. They used to put down butchers paper on the tabletop and give us kids crayons to draw as we eat. By the end of the meal the paper was strewn with pizza toppings, glass rings from wine glasses and jumbled colourful messes of crayon creations. I would look forward to being surrounded by the buzz of going out with my family, the iconic Italian food scene of Mildura and the crayons without any creative bounds. No section of that table would be left blank by the time us kids were done with it.

Close up of Maya cooking green chicken curry. A big silver pot is pictured with her arm stiring the pot with a wooden spoon.

Making the green chicken curry for my friends is something I don’t do very often but its one of the most loving things you can do. 
‍
I love the way cooking a meal brings people into my home and kitchen. Gives us sustenance, conversation, connection and warmth. That’s what cooking is all about. So I cook and I bake and this time in solitude allows me to remember old memories growing up in Mildura, about my family, my mum and how I can share a special moment over a piece of cake with my best friends. 

A cutout of two green beans.
Various designs carved on soft-lino blocks.Various designs carved on soft-lino blocks.Various designs carved on soft-lino blocks.Various designs carved on soft-lino blocks.
A collage of images of everyday objects in red, black and yellow. Ranging from stacks of books, the McDonalds entry sign, patterned clothing items, posters and other ordinary items the artist saw while travelling in Turtle Island, that so happen to be red, black and yellow.

T

A collage of images of everyday objects in red, black and yellow. Ranging from stacks of books, the McDonalds entry sign, patterned clothing items, posters and other ordinary items the artist saw while travelling in Turtle Island, that so happen to be red, black and yellow.

H

A collage of images of everyday objects in red, black and yellow. Ranging from stacks of books, the McDonalds entry sign, patterned clothing items, posters and other ordinary items the artist saw while travelling in Turtle Island, that so happen to be red, black and yellow.

I

A collage of images of everyday objects in red, black and yellow. Ranging from stacks of books, the McDonalds entry sign, patterned clothing items, posters and other ordinary items the artist saw while travelling in Turtle Island, that so happen to be red, black and yellow.

S

A collage of images of everyday objects in red, black and yellow. Ranging from stacks of books, the McDonalds entry sign, patterned clothing items, posters and other ordinary items the artist saw while travelling in Turtle Island, that so happen to be red, black and yellow.Outline sketch of the Aboriginal flag.
A collage of images of everyday objects in red, black and yellow. Ranging from stacks of books, the McDonalds entry sign, patterned clothing items, posters and other ordinary items the artist saw while travelling in Turtle Island, that so happen to be red, black and yellow.

M

A collage of images of everyday objects in red, black and yellow. Ranging from stacks of books, the McDonalds entry sign, patterned clothing items, posters and other ordinary items the artist saw while travelling in Turtle Island, that so happen to be red, black and yellow.

O

A collage of images of everyday objects in red, black and yellow. Ranging from stacks of books, the McDonalds entry sign, patterned clothing items, posters and other ordinary items the artist saw while travelling in Turtle Island, that so happen to be red, black and yellow.

B

A collage of images of everyday objects in red, black and yellow. Ranging from stacks of books, the McDonalds entry sign, patterned clothing items, posters and other ordinary items the artist saw while travelling in Turtle Island, that so happen to be red, black and yellow.

T

A collage of images of everyday objects in red, black and yellow. Ranging from stacks of books, the McDonalds entry sign, patterned clothing items, posters and other ordinary items the artist saw while travelling in Turtle Island, that so happen to be red, black and yellow.

h

A collage of images of everyday objects in red, black and yellow. Ranging from stacks of books, the McDonalds entry sign, patterned clothing items, posters and other ordinary items the artist saw while travelling in Turtle Island, that so happen to be red, black and yellow.

i

A collage of images of everyday objects in red, black and yellow. Ranging from stacks of books, the McDonalds entry sign, patterned clothing items, posters and other ordinary items the artist saw while travelling in Turtle Island, that so happen to be red, black and yellow.

S

A collage of images of everyday objects in red, black and yellow. Ranging from stacks of books, the McDonalds entry sign, patterned clothing items, posters and other ordinary items the artist saw while travelling in Turtle Island, that so happen to be red, black and yellow.

M

A collage of images of everyday objects in red, black and yellow. Ranging from stacks of books, the McDonalds entry sign, patterned clothing items, posters and other ordinary items the artist saw while travelling in Turtle Island, that so happen to be red, black and yellow.

o

A collage of images of everyday objects in red, black and yellow. Ranging from stacks of books, the McDonalds entry sign, patterned clothing items, posters and other ordinary items the artist saw while travelling in Turtle Island, that so happen to be red, black and yellow.

B

A collage of images of everyday objects in red, black and yellow. Ranging from stacks of books, the McDonalds entry sign, patterned clothing items, posters and other ordinary items the artist saw while travelling in Turtle Island, that so happen to be red, black and yellow.Outline sketch of the Aboriginal flag.
A collage of images of everyday objects in red, black and yellow. Ranging from stacks of books, the McDonalds entry sign, patterned clothing items, posters and other ordinary items the artist saw while travelling in Turtle Island, that so happen to be red, black and yellow.

t

A collage of images of everyday objects in red, black and yellow. Ranging from stacks of books, the McDonalds entry sign, patterned clothing items, posters and other ordinary items the artist saw while travelling in Turtle Island, that so happen to be red, black and yellow.

H

A collage of images of everyday objects in red, black and yellow. Ranging from stacks of books, the McDonalds entry sign, patterned clothing items, posters and other ordinary items the artist saw while travelling in Turtle Island, that so happen to be red, black and yellow.

I

A collage of images of everyday objects in red, black and yellow. Ranging from stacks of books, the McDonalds entry sign, patterned clothing items, posters and other ordinary items the artist saw while travelling in Turtle Island, that so happen to be red, black and yellow.

s

The Aboriginal flag in a hand drawn style. It has a black outline, and filled in red, yellow and black.

this mob are the next generation of influential Blak creatives who believe that young Blakfullas have an integral voice in shaping our collective future. this mob is an arts collective and operate out of a studio at the Collingwood Yards. They make art and deliver curatorial projects, workshops, public interventions, performances, discussions and publications. The collective is made up of Victorian-based creative practitioners with different material practices including writing, curating, painting, sculpture, weaving, performance and more.
‍

Black Wattle: Volume 2 was commissioned by ACCA for Between Waves 2023. this mob artists who have contributed to Black Wattle: Volume 2 are Alice Skye (Wergaia and Wemba Wemba), Moorina Bonini (Yorta Yorta and Wurundjeri), Maya Hodge (Lardil and Yangkaal), Jenna Lee (Larrakia, Wardaman and KarraJarri), Kate ten Buuren (Taungurung) and Jenna Rain Warwick (Luritja).

This Mob

Web design by Rio Ramintas
Web build by Charlotte McLachlan
Custom typography developed by RMIT Master of Communication Design Students: Adelia Jovani, Enshuo Zhang, Guanyu Zhao, Peixin Gao, Ruixue Sun, Satya Darshini Penmetsa and Yanxin Zhang, guided by Courtney Bree and Fayen d’Evie.

Artist Residency hosted by Agency

Black Wattle written in hand writing.Black Wattle written in hand writing.