I am one of the 39 artists who made a place setting for this installation piece. I chose to dedicate my place setting to one of the first Australians Truganini. I chose Truganini as I have been working on a series of drawings depicting shameful moments of Australian history. Truganini’s story is a one of genocide: by 17, her mother had been murdered by whalers, her sisters abducted and sold and her fiancé murdered and Truganini raped. The Black War was taking her people but Truganini attempted to protect them. Her story does not end well; almost all of the Tasmanian indigenous people were killed. Truganini was dug up after death and placed on display, against her wishes and beliefs. A hundred years after her death in 1976 her remains were cremated and scattered in the D’Entrecasteaux Channel.
The installation took place in March 2013
as part of International Women’s Day weekend at 47/49 in London.
An installation by South London Women Artists, curated by Leonie Cronin, Julie Bennett, Laura Moreton-Griffiths and Lucy Soni.
I’m Inside, Ring The Bell! is a new collaborative work celebrating women of importance, and a contemporary interpretation of Judy Chicago’s The Dinner Party.
‘How many women had struggled into prominence or been able to make their ideas known – sometimes in the face of overwhelming obstacles – only to have their hard-earned achievements marginalized or erased’. Judy Chicago
You can read more about this exhibition on the SLWA page.
