IssuesProjects
fine print
ContributorsAbout

Ngurra

Article by:

Juanella McKenzie, Ngatchu Yarta – my Country, Country Arts SA 2021 Breaking Ground award exhibition, installation view, Light Square Gallery, 2021. Photo: Sam Roberts

Play Audio

My country’s
Red dirt
Runs through my blood,
Familiarity and belonging
Lives in my heart,

Memories like pictures,
Hold stories
Given from the
Beginning of time...

I feel connected to
Everything Here…

This ngayulu ngurra...


Juanella McKenzie, Artunyi Vudli (Seven Sisters Constellation), 2021, emu feathers, cockatoo feathers, quandong seeds, hemp waxed thread, dimensions variable. Photo: Sam Roberts.
Juanella McKenzie, Artunyi Vudli (Seven Sisters Constellation), 2021, emu feathers, cockatoo feathers, quandong seeds, hemp waxed thread, dimensions variable. Photo: Sam Roberts.

Stars


The evening is filled
With a softing glow
Anticipating
The magnificent night show
As the sky makes room for the stars,

Millions scattered
From one horizon
To the other,

They tell stories
That come alive
Next to campfires

Stories kept alive
Since time began
Reminding us
Where we are from
And which lands we stand on


Juanella McKenzie, Artunyi Vudli (Seven Sisters Constellation) (detail), 2021, installation view, Ngatchu Yarta – my Country, Light Square Gallery 2021. Photo: Sam Roberts.
Juanella McKenzie, Artunyi Vudli (Seven Sisters Constellation) (detail), 2021, installation view, Ngatchu Yarta – my Country, Light Square Gallery 2021. Photo: Sam Roberts.