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Place names: Reinstating Indigenous knowledge in the public domain

At opposite sides of the nation, Western Australia’s Community Arts Network and the City of Sydney are both recognising the power of place names to make space for First Nations knowledge.

26 Aug 2021

Celina Lei

Visual Arts

Bara by Judy Watson will feature on the Yananurala art walk. Image: courtesy of the artist and UAP.

Language is a key tool in reinstating Indigenous histories and culture, and recently two art initiatives have engaged local communities to make way for First Nations Knowledge through place names.

WA’s Community Arts Network (CAN) presents exhibition Place Names Walyalup at the Fremantle Arts Centre opening Friday 27 August – 2 September to uncover the ancient stories behind everyday places in the city.

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Celina Lei

Celina Lei is an arts writer and editor at ArtsHub. She acquired her M.A in Art, Law and Business in New York with a B.A. in Art History and Philosophy from the University of Melbourne. She has previously worked across global art hubs in Beijing, Hong Kong and New York in both the commercial art sector and art criticism. She took part in drafting NAVA’s revised Code of Practice - Art Fairs and was the project manager of ArtsHub’s diverse writers initiative, Amplify Collective. Celina is based in Naarm/Melbourne.