Images(3)

Constellation

Artist Gail Mabo

Date2014

Object number00054564

NamePrint

MediumMonoprint on Dutch etching paper

DimensionsDisplay dimensions: 780 × 1070 × 20 mm
Overall: 776 × 1067 × 20 mm
Image: 595 × 885 mm

ClassificationsArt

Credit LineANMM Collection Purchased with funds from the Sid Faithfull and Christine Sadler program supporting Contemporary Indigenous Maritime Heritage in Far North Queensland and the Torres Strait Islands through the ANMM Foundation

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DescriptionA print by Gail Mabo titled 'Constellation' depicting a vast night sky illuminated by a spinning constellation sprinkled with whirling stars. Glowing orange forms - ancestral beings and a tall ship representing the European incursion into this world - are all caught up within this energised cosmos.

HistoryGail Mabo’s work speaks of an enduring connection to culture and country despite significant change precipitated by colonisation.

She says of this piece:

"This work expresses what will always be and what always was, no matter what changes come to us. European occupation did not change the spiritual foundation of country. To narrate this truth, I have incorporated three main elements: the swirling star constellation, the ancestral spirit figures before the coming of the boats, and the boats which represent the occupation. The ghost ships were guided to Australia by the constellations in the night sky. My ancestors navigated and lived life with a deep understanding and respect for these same constellations. The swirling stars in the night sky will continue to guide my ancestors and my people for eternity. " - Gail Mabo

SignificanceThis print is significant in providing a contemporary Indigenous perspective of first contact and European occupation in Australia and a reminder that perspectives of this event were and remain different.