Leaving Your Mark on Country (Revamp), 2017/2025
Libby Harward
Leaving Your Mark on Country (Revamp). 2017/2025
Aerosol, acrylic, oils on linen
1530 × 1220mm
Originally created in 2017 and newly reimagined in 2025, Leaving Your Mark on Country reveals shifting perspectives of Canberra, situated on Ngunnawal and Ngambri Country, as viewers stand quietly before it. Inspired by time spent with the Traditional Owners of Ngunnawal and Ngambri Country, Harward offers a visual language of First Peoples’ connections—to Country, each other, and all living things.
Grass seeds, scar trees, pregnant mountains, ochre, rivers, valleys, and waterholes emerge from layers of paint, evoking both ancient songlines and contemporary presence. As a Ngugi woman from Mulgumpin (Moreton Island) in the Quandamooka, Harward listens and responds to Country through her practice, which spans graffiti, community art, and conceptual installations.
This work weaves viewers into the life-cycle of Country itself, inviting them to slow down, look deeper, and recognise the enduring imprint of First Nations sovereignty. Now part of Harward’s acclaimed conceptual practice, this piece speaks directly to conversations around land, culture, and identity in Australia today.
Libby Harward
Leaving Your Mark on Country (Revamp). 2017/2025
Aerosol, acrylic, oils on linen
1530 × 1220mm
Originally created in 2017 and newly reimagined in 2025, Leaving Your Mark on Country reveals shifting perspectives of Canberra, situated on Ngunnawal and Ngambri Country, as viewers stand quietly before it. Inspired by time spent with the Traditional Owners of Ngunnawal and Ngambri Country, Harward offers a visual language of First Peoples’ connections—to Country, each other, and all living things.
Grass seeds, scar trees, pregnant mountains, ochre, rivers, valleys, and waterholes emerge from layers of paint, evoking both ancient songlines and contemporary presence. As a Ngugi woman from Mulgumpin (Moreton Island) in the Quandamooka, Harward listens and responds to Country through her practice, which spans graffiti, community art, and conceptual installations.
This work weaves viewers into the life-cycle of Country itself, inviting them to slow down, look deeper, and recognise the enduring imprint of First Nations sovereignty. Now part of Harward’s acclaimed conceptual practice, this piece speaks directly to conversations around land, culture, and identity in Australia today.
Libby Harward
Leaving Your Mark on Country (Revamp). 2017/2025
Aerosol, acrylic, oils on linen
1530 × 1220mm
Originally created in 2017 and newly reimagined in 2025, Leaving Your Mark on Country reveals shifting perspectives of Canberra, situated on Ngunnawal and Ngambri Country, as viewers stand quietly before it. Inspired by time spent with the Traditional Owners of Ngunnawal and Ngambri Country, Harward offers a visual language of First Peoples’ connections—to Country, each other, and all living things.
Grass seeds, scar trees, pregnant mountains, ochre, rivers, valleys, and waterholes emerge from layers of paint, evoking both ancient songlines and contemporary presence. As a Ngugi woman from Mulgumpin (Moreton Island) in the Quandamooka, Harward listens and responds to Country through her practice, which spans graffiti, community art, and conceptual installations.
This work weaves viewers into the life-cycle of Country itself, inviting them to slow down, look deeper, and recognise the enduring imprint of First Nations sovereignty. Now part of Harward’s acclaimed conceptual practice, this piece speaks directly to conversations around land, culture, and identity in Australia today.
