Powerhouse has announced the launch of ‘The Space Between,’ an international exhibition developed in collaboration with the Medellín Museum of Modern Art and Australian artist and Powerhouse Adjunct Curator Brook Garru Andrew, opening in Medellín, Colombia on 2 October 2024.

“Our partnership with the Medellín Museum of Modern Art reinforces our support and advocacy of First Nations people and their cultural practice. ‘The Space Between’ will open dialogues and present potential solutions to issues experienced by Indigenous communities around the world,” says Powerhouse Chief Executive Lisa Havilah.

‘The Space Between’ centres Indigenous ways of being, exploring the connections between the celestial and the earthly, and bringing together global Indigenous artists, researchers, and communities to reimagine and honour our relationships with the land, skies, and waterways.

The exhibition presents Indigenous knowledge and methodologies through projects spanning art, science, ceremony, and sound, developed by First Nations communities, artists, and cultural leaders from across the globe.

The exhibition includes Ngunhi Wayilwan Dhumbullu - Sharing a Wayilwan Story, a new series of contemporary photographs and accompanying text commissioned by Powerhouse, revisiting Australian photographer Charles Kerry’s 1898 photographs of the Wayilwan people from central west New South Wales.

Nearly 130 years later, Wayilwan cultural practitioners Milan Dhiiyaan in partnership with Warren Local Aboriginal Land Council hosted a gathering of Wayilwan Elders and community members to respond to the 1898 work and produce new images that celebrate the resilience and continuity of Wayilwan cultural practices. Created by Australian Peruvian photojournalist Isabella Moore and Milan Dhiiyaan, these images document the endurance of cultural practice.

The project features works by the Consejo Ancestral Council Willka Yaku (Jenniffer Avila Jordán, Phuyu Uma, Eyder Calambás), Tiwi-run and owned Indigenous arts organisation Jilamara Arts & Crafts Association, Māori artist Emily Karaka, Ainu artist Mayunkiki, Tlingit and Unangax̂ visual artist and musician Nicholas Galanin, Colombian artist Tahuanty Jacanamijoy and Yanomami artist Sheroanawe Hakihiiwe.

The exhibition includes a series of contemporary photographs and accompanying text commissioned by Powerhouse, revisiting Australian photographer Charles Kerry’s 1898 photographs of the Wayilwan people from central west New South Wales.

Nearly 130 years later, cultural practitioners Milan Dhiiyaan hosted a gathering of Wayilwan Elders and community members to respond to the 1898 work and produce new images that celebrate the resilience and continuity of Wayilwan cultural practices. Created by Indigenous Peruvian photographer Isabella Moore, these images document the endurance of cultural practice.

Curated by Powerhouse Adjunct Curator Brook Garru Andrew, Medellín Museum of Modern Art Senior Curator Emilano Valdés, and Performance Curator Paschal Daantos Berry, The Space Between will also feature a symposium and performance program developed with contributions from Sydney-based Samoan artist and performer Brian Fuata, Australian Filipina artist Bhenji Ra, Skolt Sámi theatre director, artist Pauliina Feodoroff, Maya Kaqchikel and artist Edgar Calel. The program will open dialogues around significant issues like land management, subsistence living, Indigenous rights, and recognition.

The program will also feature speakers including Powerhouse Head of Collections First Nations Nathan Mudyi Sentance and sociologist Silvia Rivera Cusicanqui.

‘We are pleased to announce the opening of the exhibition ‘The Space Between,’ a significant milestone that marks the Powerhouse’s inaugural collaboration with a Latin American museum,” says Medellín Museum of Modern Art Director María Mercedes González.

“Through this partnership, we aim to foster dialogue and solidarity among Indigenous communities across continents, honouring their histories and ways of life. We are proud to offer a space where Indigenous voices and experiences are visible and celebrated.”

‘The Space Between’ will be presented at the Medellín Museum of Modern Art Colombia from 2 October 2024–12 February 2025.

Clémence Carayol

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