Dharawala

Painted over the course of the festival, the artwork's title is derived from a Wiradjuri word meaning forested country, which accurately describes the Georges River area. The artwork is hoisted high looking above a car park, measuring 6 metres across and 2 metres high. The artwork is described as a topographical map with snaking blue and green lines representing the river and land respectively, as they course through and tracks are made through.

Maps and landscape are a recurring subject in my cultural arts practice as they are in fact the basis of Indigenous identity, language, culture and art. I was taught a long time ago that language was born from Country. People read their language in their landscape. The George’s River, Kogarah, is Dharug language and on the other side of the river is Dharawal language. I wish to respectfully acknowledge the people of this landscape in this mural which I’m calling Dhalawala.