Naabámi (thou shall / will see): Barangaroo (army of me) by renowned First Nations multidisciplinary artist Brenda L Croft (Gurindji/Malngin/Mudburra Peoples; Anglo-Australian/Chinese/German/Irish/Scottish heritage) and supported by photographer Prue Hazelgrove, is a series of large-scale photographic portraits of contemporary Australian First Nations women and girls, with cultural connections across Australia. Naabami (thou shall / will see) honours Barangaroo, the Cammeraygal Warrior woman (? – 1791) who acts as a constant ancestral guide for the women and girls represented in this major installation.
The opening of Naabámi (thou shall / will see) aligns with the beginning of NAIDOC Week 2024, celebrating and recognising the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The 2024 theme: Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud and Proud is an opportunity for all to learn about First Nations cultures and histories and participate in celebrations of the oldest, continuous living cultures on earth.
Since the mid-1980s Brenda Croft has been a key participant in Australian and international First Nations and broader contemporary arts/cultural sectors as a multi-disciplinary creative practitioner – artist, author, curator, educator, researcher and scholar. Brenda is based at the Australian National University (ANU) as Professor of Indigenous Art History & Curatorship, living and working with Ngambri/Ngunnawal/Walgalu/ Wiradjuri Traditional Custodians on their unceded Ancestral Country. Brenda is the 2024 Gough Whitlam & Malcolm Fraser Visiting Chair of Australian Studies at Harvard, living and working on the Ancestral Homelands of the Massachusett.
This exhibition is supported by Australian National University, Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Embassy of Australia, Lendlease, Creative Australia. Exhibition design by Cracknell Lonergan Architects and graphic design by Graphic Expression.
from the series Naabámi (thou shall/will see): Barangaroo (army of me) 2019–22, with assistance from Prue Hazelgrove
Inkjet print from original tintype
Courtesy and © the artist.
Hear more about this exhibition from Brenda through ABC's 'Speaking Out' series:
https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/speakingout/speaking-out/102551490