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Celebrating NAIDOC Week through art

Gold Coast Health’s Creative Health Hub is spotlighting the work of artists who embody this year’s NAIDOC Week theme, ‘Keep the fire burning! Blak, loud and proud’. By sharing their art in a pop-up display at Tugun Satellite Hospital (Banyahrmabah), these talented artists tell their stories and celebrate their culture through colour, design and composition.

Artist Laura Lockwood is a proud Darug women form the Boorooberongal clan of Western Sydney, now living on the Gold Coast. Her recent journey of discovery about her Aboriginal heritage ignited a passion for making art.

“Art to me allows for an inner expression of connecting to my ancestors and telling stories of happiness, positivity, love (and) hope that I love to share with everyone that purchases my paintings,” she said.

Now living on the Gold Coast, Suzy Weeks is a proud Biripi woman and award-winning autistic, mixed media artist, who works with paints, textiles and other mediums including jewellery making. Her art connects her to Country, self, culture and community.

“Creativity also helps to disconnect one from pain - physically, mentally and spiritually. Being autistic, I want to illustrate my feelings rather than give them words,” Suzy said.

This year, the Creative Health Hub is spotlighting the work of Kiersten Corrigall, whose ancestry can be traced to Palawa Country, East Coast Tasmania. She has recently completed her Registered Nursing placement at Gold Coast University Hospital (GCUH), and is proudly sharing her paintings for the enjoyment of staff, consumers and their families. Kiersten’s works are deeply personal and convey layered meanings to the viewer. One of her diptych paintings ‘Journeys’ represents mental health.

“The mountain is the obstacles faced, and the lines are freeing the negative thoughts and emotions. The circle represents the connection and support of becoming at peace with the past and healing into the future,” Kiersten said.

Creative Health Hub is proud to exhibit artwork by Rachel Jack for the first time. A proud Wiradjuri woman from Wagga Wagga NSW, Rachel is a First Nations Hospital Liaison Officer in Gold Coast Health’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Service team. Rachel’s artworks present her strong connection to landscape and water.

“I paint intuitively using a modern and minimalist style to capture stories of family, animals and land; every dot and brushstroke is painted to collectively evoke a thought or emotion that will enlighten understanding,” she said.

Creative Health Hub is thrilled to be sharing her work locally, as she currently has artworks in far flung parts of the world including England, Switzerland, Japan, China, Brazil, Israel and South Africa.

You can acknowledge NAIDOC Week and show your support for our local artists by popping into Banyahrmabah. You can also experience artworks on display by First Nations artists Anthony Cora and Grace Brown and take a moment to pause and reflect in the outdoor yarning circle and healing garden.

National NAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia each year to celebrate and recognise the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. NAIDOC Week is an opportunity for all Australians to learn about First Nations cultures and histories and participate in celebrations of the oldest, continuous living cultures on earth. 

This pop-up exhibition is on display at Tugun Satellite Hospital (Banyahrmabah) until Sunday 14 July 2024.  

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Last updated 12 Jul 2024