The collaboration between Powerhouse Parramatta and Cité Internationale des Arts has unveiled the names of the recipients of the 2024 galang residency program. The initiative will bolster Australian First Nations creative practitioners through a 12-week residency in Paris, in turn offering the Indigenous artists a unique platform to showcase their designs and craftsmanship on an international stage. The recipients are Jack Gillmer, an architect of Worimi and Biripi heritage from Sydney, and Jody Rallah, a multidisciplinary artist hailing from the Yuggera and Biri nations in Brisbane.

The galang residency program attracted a wide range of creatives spanning diverse disciples. The entries included specialists from fields including jewellery design, architecture, choreography, fashion, writing and visual arts. The judging panel is composed of esteemed figures – namely Wiradjuri artist and curator Dr Brook Garru Andrew, Vincent Gonzalvez from the Residency Department at Cité Internationale des Arts, and Beau James, Associate Director First Nations at Powerhouse – who vocalised their enthusiasm and support for Gillmer and Rallah’s projects.

“The exceptional quality of submissions underscores the remarkable talent of Australia’s First Nations creative practitioners. We eagerly anticipate the outcomes of Jack Gillmer and Jody Rallah’s projects, which promise to redefine the cultural landscape,” says Lisa Havilah, Chief Executive of Powerhouse.

Scheduled to commence her residency in May, Jody Rallah plans to explore the interrelationship of Braille and other tactile language systems in her art makings and forms. Rallah’s oeuvre showcases a sculptural dimension to haptic art that enriches her creative practices while examining the role of architecture and private and public spaces through cultural preservation. Reflecting on her project, Rallah expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to foray into tactile languages and their potential impact on art and cultural practices within her communities.

Related: Parliamentary Friends of Australian Urban Design

Emphasising and focusing on the display and treatment of Indigenous artefacts within museum settings, Jack Gillmer will commence his residency in July. Gillmer will confront the colonial legacy of museology and envision a more equitable future for the acquisition and exhibition of cultural materials. Gillmer aims to provoke conversations around restitution and ‘decolonise’ museology through his art forms, by empowering First Nations communities to reshape historical narratives. Through architecture as a medium of investigation, he aims to challenge colonial structures and envision inclusive spaces that honour Indigenous perspectives.

Powerhouse
powerhouse.com.au

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