As part of its 40th anniversary program, Linden New Art presents a significant new commission by leading Yorta Yorta/Wamba Wamba/Mutti Mutti/Boonwurrung artist Maree Clarke, on the building’s façade.
Long Journey Home: We Are Still Here revisits an image from the artist’s iconic photographic series of the same name, in which members of Clarke’s family are presented standing on the shore of Port Phillip Bay, wearing traditional kangaroo-skin cloaks and white river clay painted on their faces. Clarke has overlaid the image with a hand-drawn map and microgram of river reed, referencing the act of Boonwurrung People welcoming guests onto Country, and ensuring their safe passage.
Through its re-enactment of a scene from pre-invasion Melbourne, Clarke’s work powerfully embodies the enduring sovereignty of the Boonwurrung People, as Traditional Owners of the land on which Linden New Art stands, and their deep connection to it, over tens of thousands of years.
Installed in front of Linden’s heritage façade, Clarke’s artwork renders the building’s colonial history as a ghostly presence. Importantly, the image is visible to gallery visitors and passersby alike, day and night, a clear statement of the ongoing strength and resilience of First Nations people and culture.
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