The works of Indigenous artists and authors have been showcased at Wollongong Art Gallery this week in the hope to better connect the community to culture and recognise the brutality of Australia’s history.
The Indigenous exhibition included the book launch for ‘Dreaming Inside’, inviting audiences to hear the stories of Indigenous juvenile incarceration in Australia.
Indigenous rights activist and author Thomas Mayo said that despite the heartbreak of Australia’s history, there is still hope for moving forward.
“Hope is a stream of energy that can be exchanged and shared,” Mr Mayo said.
“There’s so many opportunities to help your friends, family, colleagues and loved ones to become familiar with indigenous history and culture and learn the truth about those things.”
Elder Aunty Barb said that for solidarity to be achieved, cultural dispossession and inequality must be recognised before the wounds can heal.
According to recent data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), First Nations young people aged 10-17 were 29 times more likely than non-Indigenous young people to be in detention in 2023.
Brisbane Youth Education and Training Centre deputy principal, Kelly Fechner also launched the collection ‘Dreaming Big’ which shares the stories of Indigenous youth in Brisbane detention center, as a pathway for rehabilitation and cultural connection.
“For them to now see themselves as published authors is really exciting and identify as something other than a youth offender definitely gave them a sense of purpose,” she said.
Poetry, art, song, and dance are all a way of not only a space for healing but are a medium in which their sacred stories can be generously shared and strengthen their cultural roots.
Illawarra resident Lexcie Vrlic attended the book launch and said she was impressed with the showing of true kinship and honesty of the community.
“The words of these young people are so powerful, and it made me so emotional to hear the suffering of their stories,” Miss Vrlic said.
All donations made from the ‘Dreaming Inside’ book launch have helped to support Indigenous communities in the Junee Correctional Centre and continue to provide a voice for marginalised Australians.
Wollongong Art Gallery has supported Indigenous voices by sharing the artworks of Warlukurlangu and other First Nations artists, with exhibitions such as Dreams nursed in darkness, which is open to the public until October 9.
The Dreaming Inside books can be bought at the Wollongong Library or online at the South Coast Writers Centre.