Gold, Iron Ore & Copper (Series of 3 works) - Clea North Mithika and Gunggari woman
Clea North
Mithika/Gunggari 2024
Watercolour paint, gold, silver and copper leaf on paper.
This series of work acknowledges the profound influence of the unique Channel Country, characterised by a vibrant palette of reds, yellows, browns & black shapes all things born from its rich soils and fresh waters. This work illuminates a significant divergence in values: while First Nation people practice the revenant return of valuable materials to the earth, colonial endeavours often prioritize extraction for personal gain and wealth, including minerals such as gold, iron ore and copper. This theme extends like a thread through all other works.
In her work, Clea, a proud Mithika and Gunggari woman, transgresses messages of middens and their scientific insights, their complex stratums resembling layering structures embedded throughout our historical narratives, but most symbolically how they recognise preserving the legacy of the original custodians who have stewarded this country for generations upon our traditional lands.
Pairing different disciplines and materials, Clea’s work speaks of First Peoples’ value systems and epistemologies, and how they differ from settler/colonial values by using gold, copper and silver leaf to alleviate her work centring the growth rings and their meanings on freshwater mussels. The work acknowledges the profound influence of Clea’s unique Channel Country, characterised by a vibrant palette of reds, yellows and browns shapes all things born from its rich soils and fresh waters.
Clea North
Mithika/Gunggari 2024
Watercolour paint, gold, silver and copper leaf on paper.
This series of work acknowledges the profound influence of the unique Channel Country, characterised by a vibrant palette of reds, yellows, browns & black shapes all things born from its rich soils and fresh waters. This work illuminates a significant divergence in values: while First Nation people practice the revenant return of valuable materials to the earth, colonial endeavours often prioritize extraction for personal gain and wealth, including minerals such as gold, iron ore and copper. This theme extends like a thread through all other works.
In her work, Clea, a proud Mithika and Gunggari woman, transgresses messages of middens and their scientific insights, their complex stratums resembling layering structures embedded throughout our historical narratives, but most symbolically how they recognise preserving the legacy of the original custodians who have stewarded this country for generations upon our traditional lands.
Pairing different disciplines and materials, Clea’s work speaks of First Peoples’ value systems and epistemologies, and how they differ from settler/colonial values by using gold, copper and silver leaf to alleviate her work centring the growth rings and their meanings on freshwater mussels. The work acknowledges the profound influence of Clea’s unique Channel Country, characterised by a vibrant palette of reds, yellows and browns shapes all things born from its rich soils and fresh waters.
Clea North
Mithika/Gunggari 2024
Watercolour paint, gold, silver and copper leaf on paper.
This series of work acknowledges the profound influence of the unique Channel Country, characterised by a vibrant palette of reds, yellows, browns & black shapes all things born from its rich soils and fresh waters. This work illuminates a significant divergence in values: while First Nation people practice the revenant return of valuable materials to the earth, colonial endeavours often prioritize extraction for personal gain and wealth, including minerals such as gold, iron ore and copper. This theme extends like a thread through all other works.
In her work, Clea, a proud Mithika and Gunggari woman, transgresses messages of middens and their scientific insights, their complex stratums resembling layering structures embedded throughout our historical narratives, but most symbolically how they recognise preserving the legacy of the original custodians who have stewarded this country for generations upon our traditional lands.
Pairing different disciplines and materials, Clea’s work speaks of First Peoples’ value systems and epistemologies, and how they differ from settler/colonial values by using gold, copper and silver leaf to alleviate her work centring the growth rings and their meanings on freshwater mussels. The work acknowledges the profound influence of Clea’s unique Channel Country, characterised by a vibrant palette of reds, yellows and browns shapes all things born from its rich soils and fresh waters.
