Exhibition: Paola Balla – Artist in Residence

For the month of July,  VU at Metrowest is proud to host Paola Balla as Artist in Residence at Victoria University for Moondani Balluk Indigenous Academic Unit.

Paola Balla, winner of the 2014 Award for Three Dimensional Works at the Victorian Indigenous Awards presents a provocative series of works engaging ideas of Aboriginal sovereignty, de-colonisation and identity.  

Key activities

• Exhibition dates: 1 – 31 July

• Opening:  Wednesday 1 July from  4 – 6pm

• NAIDOC Week Forum: Tuesday 7 July, 1 – 3pm. 
  Afternoon tea sponsored by Moondani Balluk

• Artist Talk – Saturday 25 July, 12 – 1pm

• Artist Workshop – Saturday  25 July, 11am – 12pm.

Exhibition

Exhibition: Born into Sovereignty, Live in Sovereignty 

Paola's exhibition features the image of a stunning vintage gown adorned with native Australian bird feathers and flora, as well as photographic prints and videos that are very personal, but also invite broader reflections on humanity, survival from trauma, healing and recovery.

Paola’s visual art puts the gaze back on whiteness and colonization by asserting her identity as a sovereign woman and as the descendant of Matriarchs. Her work addresses the racist definitions of Aboriginality and integrates this through new imagery & installation with works that speak of trauma, grief and loss.

The forum

NAIDOC Week Forum: Tuesday 7 July, 1 – 3pm.

The forum will explore Paola’s current research and writing about experiences and understandings of de-colonisation, trans generational trauma/colonial injury, sovereignty from different cultural perspectives. 

Her aims include revealing healing and recovery approaches to these traumas and addressing the unspoken and unresolved in Country and body.

Afternoon tea sponsored by Moondani Balluk.

The workshop

Paola will conduct an artmaking workshop for participants to create a one off piece about identity, connection and belonging.

Paola will share her processes of telling her own story and how it connects with her family stories and ways of using images & stories of self and family within contemporary art making.

If you participate you will need to bring a photograph or photocopy of a family photograph of yourself and a family member or members to be photocopied on the day and used within the art work.

Workshop registration

Registrations are closed.

The Artist - Paola Balla

Paola Balla is a visual artist, (predominantly working in installation, prints, drawing & painting) writer, curator, educator and creative producer. She is a Wemba Wemba & Gunditjmara woman of the Day & Egan Families & is of Italian & Chinese migrant heritage.

She has been an innovative arts leader in the Koorie Community and broader community of Melbourne for over fifteen years. This includes having taught at primary, secondary & tertiary levels including lecturing with Moondani Balluk Indigenous Academic Unit, Victoria University.

Some highlights of Paola's commitment to Indigenous culture and education include her work as:

• Artist in Residence at Victoria University for Moondani Balluk Indigenous Academic Unit
• the inaugural Producer, Indigenous Programs for the Indigenous Arts & Cultural Program at Footscray Community Arts Centre
•  senior Curator Generations Gallery, Bunjilaka Aboriginal Cultural Centre, Melbourne Museum. Here work involved leading an innovative Community Research project with the Museum’s historic photographic collection of Victorian Aboriginal Peoples and curating Conversations, a dynamic multimedia space featuring Victorian Aboriginal Peoples
• co-founder of WIAC, Western Indigenous Artists Collective
• presenter at Universities including Melbourne, RMIT, Victoria University, and the Victorian College of the Arts
  
• curator of the award winning Blak Side Story at Footscray Community Arts Centre 2011 and Incident in Swanston Street at City of Melbourne’s City Gallery in 2012.

Awards Paola has won

Paola has won the Victorian Indigenous Art Awards Three Dimensional Award in 2011 and 2014, and has been shortlisted seven times. Paola won the Premiers Award 2007 and won the Arts Hub Inaugural Peoples Choice Award in collaboration with Singing Bowl Media & FCAC.

Footscray University Town events & activities

This one of a range of Footscray Uni Town events & activities brought to you as part of the ongoing Footscray University Town partnership between VU and Maribyrnong City Council.

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