Kim Ah Sam
Kim Ah Sam – 'Not Knowing What You Know', 2022
Kuku Yalanji/Kalkadoon Country.
'not knowing what you know' is a recording of Kim Ah Sam's journey of self-discovery. The series includes five woven masks, each representative of a new awakening Ah Sam experienced when she first journeyed to Kalkadoon - her father's Country. "The concept of my five woven sculptures represents my cultural identity through the stages of my life; each woven piece is my conscious journey of growing up and finding who I am as an Indigenous woman and my identity. I had a sense of belonging, a feeling that I had already been there, an overwhelming sense of emotion and belonging to my cultural identity."
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Kim Ah Sam is a Kuku Yalanji/Kalkadoon artist working across drypoint, etching, weaving and paper making. Her creative practice is a means to connect with her spiritual and cultural identity and embodies storytelling and knowledge-sharing. Ah Sam grew up in Brisbane with little knowledge of her father’s Country and the cultural traditions of the Kalkadoon people. For Ah Sam, the practice of weaving offers a process of cultural healing and a therapeutic way to address feelings of disconnection and reconnection to Country.
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YARN
July 1 – September 16
Curated by Jahkarli Felicitas Romanis
Brad Webb, Carissa Gurwalwal, Corben Mudjandi, Kim Ah Sam, Leanne Namarnyilk, Nicholas Currie and Tarryn Love.
Storytelling is central to Aboriginal culture. It is rooted in Country, family, and spirit. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have been storytellers for millennia, passing knowledge from one generation to the next.
Presented as part of NAIDOC week, YARN connects to this year's theme, 'For Our Elders.' Elders are the advocates, trailblazers, knowledge holders, guides and pillars of our communities. They have fought for the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, ensuring the survival of the longest-living culture in the world. They are the reason we are able to thrive and be proud of who we are.
YARN brings together the work of seven Indigenous makers. Woven within each artist's practice are the stories, lived experiences, knowledges and relational connections to Country. This exhibition draws on important oral histories and the significance of knowledge sharing through conversation and listening. Each artist is an agent of their voice, speaking to the gravity of arts practice as a form of storytelling.
Material: repurposed rope, raffia, feathers, and bamboo
Dimensions: size variable (the individual works range from 20.0x 30.0 cm – 70.0 x 84.0 cm)