Wergaia Nana’s possum fur apron, it’s binary!

Wergaia Nana’s possum fur apron, it’s binary! 2017

KOUMALATSOS, Kelly (Wergaia/Wemba Wemba)

Registration number

1744129

Artist/maker

KOUMALATSOS, Kelly (Wergaia/Wemba Wemba)

Title

Wergaia Nana’s possum fur apron, it’s binary!

Production date

2017

Medium

white ink on tissue paper

Dimensions (H x W x D)

100 x 135 cm

Credit line

Purchased, 2018
City of Melbourne Art and Heritage Collection
© Courtesy of the artist

Keywords

Kelly Koumalatsos, Wergaia Nana's possum fur apron, it's binary!, apron, 2017,

Summary

In her 2018 solo exhibition, Benim: Cloaked Histories, Wergaia/Wemba Wemba artist Kelly Koumalatsos explored printing techniques using possum fur, woollen blankets and other media. Incorporating historic images of Koorie people from across Victoria wearing possum skin cloaks, the prints present a layered narrative of Koorie heritage, referencing both the pre-contact cloaks worn in the images and the blankets they were replaced with following invasion. Drawing on historic source materials, along with her own family and cultural heritage, Kelly’s practice reveals the hidden legacy of colonisation, and a continuing cultural practice in spite of it.