Preservation is an Act of Political Warfare: An Exchange Residency Between Sicily and Australia

This exhibition brings together works by three artists coming from different geographical and cultural contexts: Regina Pilawuk Wilson (Ngan’ngikurrungurr woman, senior artist and Cultural Director of Durrmu Arts, an Aboriginal corporation located in Peppimenarti, Northern Territory), Steaphan Paton (Gunai and Monero Nations artist based in Melbourne), and Giuseppe Lana (an artist born in Sicily, who lives and works between Catania and London). What ties their practice together is their commitment to reflect on the legacy of their places of origin and their participation in the struggles associated with the validation and preservation of their heritage. The conversation among the three artists is established through exchange residencies that took place in Sicily (Italy), in Gippsland, Victoria, and in the Aboriginal community of Peppimenarti, Northern Territory. The project is a window into the worlds of Regina, Steaphan and Giuseppe: it looks at their ways of preserving culture through art while offering powerful opportunities to challenge and expand geographical and political borders. Melbourne-based photographer and filmmaker Timothy Hillier has followed the whole journey of the three artists, capturing their experience in a film shown for the first time in this exhibition together with selected photographs of the residencies. The exhibition is curated by Miriam La Rosa, PhD candidate at The University of Melbourne, and Kade McDonald, Executive Director, Durrmu Arts. The project is supported by: Australia Council for the Arts; The University of Melbourne; Durrmu Arts Aboriginal Corporation; CO.AS.IT. Melbourne and the Italian Cultural Institutes in Sydney and Melbourne.