Artist Statement”

My poem is inspired by my trip to a place in the Country called Goodooga. At Goodooga, we participated in many traditional practices, learnt about Country, and had loads of fun. The phrase “keep the fire burning” is stated throughout the poem, meaning that every activity that we did kept the Indigenous spirit alive inside each and every one of us. Artist’s Statement: In the middle of my painting there is a meeting place and a snake wrapped around it. This symbolizes that a meeting place is very important and it is the center of Indigenous culture. Everything happened while they were yarning. Meeting on Country and yarning is a key to reconciliation, because it helps us connect and close the gap between non-Indigenous and Indigenous Australians.

Reconciliation means…

To me, reconciliation means working together, building bonds, relationships, and friendships, and respecting people for who they are. We do this to close a gap that we have destroyed in the past. It also shows that we as a nation are capable of celebrating everyone’s differences and making sure that everyone feels like they belong.

Artist: Abbey Wong