Tarnanthi - Sovereign sisters: domestic work

Under strict and oppressive social darwinist policies from colonial contact to the mid-twentieth century, countless Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and girls across Australia were forced into domestic servitude in non-Indigenous households. Sovereign sisters: domestic work traces these stories, through the work of First Nations artists and from First Nations perspectives, shedding light on the collective narratives that are at the forefront of First Nation people’s struggle for truth-telling and justice. Historical and contemporary works highlight Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women’s labour histories, the intergenerational injustice of stolen wages, and questions of reparation.

Artists

Ali Gumillya Baker
Mirning people, South Australia

Paola Balla
Gunditjmara/Wemba Wemba people, Victoria/New South Wales

Faye Rosas Blanch
Yidinyji/Mbararam people, Queensland

Destiny Deacon
Erub/Meriam/Kuku people, Torres Strait Islands/Queensland

Julie Dowling
Badimaya people, Western Australia

Dale Harding
Bidjara/Ghungalu/Garingbal people, Queensland

Natalie Harkin
Narungga people, South Australia

Leah King-Smith
Bigambul people, Queensland

Tracey Moffatt
Sydney, New South Wales

Clinton Naina
Meriam Mir/Erubam Le/Kuku people, Torres Strait Islands

r e a
Gamilaraay/Wailwan/Biripi people, New South Wales

Yhonnie Scarce
Kokatha/Nukunu people, South Australia

Ellen Trevorrow
Ngarrindjeri people, South Australia

Simone Ulalka Tur
Antikirinya/Yankunytjatjara people, South Australia

Curator Floor Talk

With Ali Gumillya Baker and Madeline Reece
Thu 21 Oct, 4pm

Access

Wheelchair accessible, accessible toilets, lifts

Presenting Partner

Flinders University Museum of Art