8 November 2025 – 10 January 2027
Art Gallery of New South Wales
Naala Nura Building
Ground level, Asian Lantern galleries
I was compelled to see And Still I Rise exhibition partly because of the title, taken from a Maya Angelou poem. It resonates with something deep inside. It speaks of courage, strength and perseverance. The works, made by 20 culturally diverse Australian or Indigenous women, embodied the title.
Each of the works carried its own power and unique story, but there were three that I came away pondering the most.
Unconstitutional Love by Kyra Mancktelow first captured my interest for its intricate making and the detail in the accessories. I was also drawn to the natural fibres—mesmerised by how they were woven together so neatly and into such a distinct form. Upon reading the didactic information, I heard myself take a quick breath inward—now I remember my high school history lessons, learning about the Aboriginal history of Australia. I access this work at the initial level, where I am reminded of my own wedding dress and the stresses of that time, then at the level of seeking to understand the country I have grown up in, which discriminated against its own people to the point of demanding they seek approval to be married. This work communicates to me the collective cultural trauma of Indigenous Australians to the point where I feel it as a tightening in my chest; it’s a further revelation of my research into how the body wears trauma.
Mandy Quadiro’s steel wool Trumminyer and Nimerannee are formidable forms that tower above the viewer. They are haunting in their stance. Each form represents an ancestral cloak - the larger, her grandfather’s wallaby skin cloak, and the smaller, a birthing cloak. These cloaks are symbols of significance, identity, nurture and honour. They are posed facing each other to evoke relationship and conversation. I am drawn to this work because it symbolises a history of survival through trauma. I was also fascinated by the construction - how do they stand so tall? - and by how their size impresses their powerful message.
Jenna Mayilema Lee Maan-ma danala: birdim-ba (language dillybag: steady persistent rain), 2025, mixed media, 2:55 min looped sound, dimensions variable © Jenna Mayilema Lee
Voice: Chris Lee
Field recording: Sage Lee
Sound production: Kim Choo
Poetry commissioned for the work by Mackenzie Lee
This work was by far my favourite piece. It is gentle and captivating. The hanging vessels are mesmerising in their volume and textures. The use of light and sound creates an atmosphere of preciousness. It feels magical. The immersive work explores the inherited stories of Jenna Mayilema Lee through artefacts she has created with dictionary pages. These books document her people’s languages, and she uses them to interrogate the space between words—unwritten things. By deconstructing the books and reconstructing them into precious cultural objects, she seeks to bring to light hidden memories and history.
The combination of deconstruction and reconstruction, the monochromatic colour, soft lighting and soundscape made me observe this piece longer than all the other works. It felt relevant to my work in how the artist uses reconstructive processes to communicate an important aspect of her past. It is a beautiful work, and I have wondered how beauty might enter my work to communicate the important yet serious theme of addressing how humans are affected by trauma.