| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2018 |
Thorner, S., Edmonds, F., Clarke, M., & Balla, P. (181101). Maree's Backyard: Intercultural Collaborations for Indigenous Sovereignty in Melbourne. Oceania, 88(3), (269-291). doi: 10.1002/ocea.5206 |
| 2018 | Balla, P. (180601). Walking in deadly blak women's footprints. Artlink, 38(2), (22-29). |
Key details
Areas of expertise
- Indigenous studies
- Indigenous contemporary art
- Practice-led research
- Women's studies
- Black feminism
Available to supervise research students
Available for media queries
About Paola Balla
Paola is an award winning visual artist, highly commended curator and sought-after community cultural development practitioner, speaker, facilitator and writer. She is a Wemba-Wemba and Gunditjmara woman who lectures with Moondani Balluk Indigenous Academic Centre, Victoria University. She teaches Politics of Aboriginal Art, into the Masters of Teaching program and Indigenous Specialisations.
Specialising in contemporary Indigenous art and Aboriginal women's art and practices of resistance and revitalisation, Paola is a Lisa Bellear Post Graduate Research Scholar. She has over twenty years' experience teaching Indigenous studies and contemporary Indigenous art practices, including in primary and secondary setting; education roles at the Botanic Gardens, Equal Opportunity Commission and Melbourne Museum as a Senior Curator in Bunjilaka Aboriginal Cultural Centre; and co-founding the Indigenous Arts and Cultural Program at Footscray Community Arts and Wominjeka Festival. Her current art and research focuses on black women’s art and activism, and its role in disrupting patriarchal and colonial dominant narratives and spaces.
She curated Executed in Franklin Street (2016) City Gallery, co-curated Sovereignty (2016) and Unfinished Business; Perspectives on art and feminism (2017) at ACCA. Her writing appears in Oceania, The Lifted Brow, Art Link, Writers Victoria, Freize (UK), SBS and NITV. She is a member of the Blak Brow Collective who edited the Blak Brow (2018) for The Lifted Brow.
Recent group art exhibitions include In Character, Verge, Sydney, (2019) Lucky, Bundoora Homestead, (2018), Next Matriarch (2017) ACE Open for Taranthi Festival, Adelaide, Walan Yinaagirbang -Strong Women, (2017) First Draft, Sydney, State of the Nation, (2016) Counihan Gallery, Smoke and Mirrors, (2016) Art Realm, Melbourne, Unframed (2016) Incinerator Gallery, Melbourne, In Good Company-with proppaNOW, Roslyn Smorgon Gallery FCAC, Melbourne (2016).
Solo art exhibitions include Disrupting Artistic Terra Nullius-PhD exhibition (2019) Roslyn Smorgan Gallery, FCAC, Her Stories, Kingston Art Gallery (2016), Kalina Yaryins (2015) at Tandanya Aboriginal Cultural Institute, Adelaide, Born into Sovereignty, Live in Sovereignty (2014) Manningham Gallery, Singin’ Up Country and Western, (2012) Koorie Heritage Trust, Lost and Found (2010) at Trocadero Art Space.
Paola utilises art as sovereign act, in both process and outcome for expressing blak matriarchy and First Nations ways of ‘being, knowing and doing.’
Qualifications
- PhD, Victoria University, 2020
- MCommunityCulDevPrac, University of Melbourne, Australia, 2007
- PGDipCommuntyCulDevPrac, University of Melbourne, Australia, 2005
- BEd (Nyerna Studies), Victoria University, Australia, 2001
Key publications
Paola has over 37 publications, with a selection listed here.
A more comprehensive list of Paola's publications is available in the VU Research Repository.
Journal article (showing 2 of 13)
Research funding for the past 5 years
Please note:
- Funding is ordered by the year the project commenced and may continue over several years.
- Funding amounts for contact research are not disclosed to maintain commercial confidentiality.
- The order of investigators is not indicative of the role they played in the research project.
2021
|
Blak Women's Healing
From: Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
Other investigators: Ms Karen Jackson, Ms Rowena Price, Prof Christopher Sonn, Dr Amy Quayle
For period: 2021-2023
|
$164,610 |
2018
|
Research project: cross-cultural encounters during Cook¿s voyages
From: Auspicious Arts Inc
Other investigators: Ms Clare Land
For period: 2018-2019
|
Not disclosed |
|
Cross-Cultural Encounters During Cook's Voyages
From: City of Melbourne
Other investigators: Ms Clare Land
For period: 2018-2019
|
Not disclosed |
Supervision of research students at VU
Available to supervise research students
Available for media queries
Currently supervised research students at VU
| No. of students | Study level | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | PhD Integrated | Associate supervisor |
Currently supervised research students at VU
| Students & level | Role |
|---|---|
| PhD Integrated (1) | Associate supervisor |
Teaching activities & experience
Since graduating the Bachelor of Education (Nyerna Studies) program in 2001, Paola has taught Indigenous Studies and Indigenous art practices in western suburbs schools, taught at Footscray City Primary, lectured at VU, held education roles at the Botanic Gardens and Equal Opportunity Commission Victoria, been a Senior Curator at Bunjilaka Aboriginal Cultural Centre, Melbourne Museum at First Peoples Gallery, and co-founded the Indigenous Arts and Cultural Program at FCAC and Wominjeka Festival.
Her current research focuses on black women’s art and how it disrupts patriarchy and colonialism. She curated Executed in Franklin Street (2016) City Gallery, and co-curated Sovereignty (2016) and Unfinished Business; Perspectives on art and feminism (2017) at ACCA. Publications include: Oceania, The Lifted Brow, Art Link, Writers Victoria, Freize (UK), SBS and NITV. She is a member of Blak Brow Collective, who edited The Blak Brow (2018) The Lifted Brow.
Currently, Paola is Unit Convenor for Politics of Aboriginal Art AEK2205 as part of the Aboriginal Yulendj elective units. She also teaches into the Masters of Teaching.
Paola is completing her PhD at VU as the inaugural Lisa Bellear Indigenous Research Scholarship recipient. Her PhD is a Creative Project Thesis, titled Disrupting Artistic Terra Nullius, situating the way Aboriginal women artists disrupt dominant colonial and patriarchal narratives in public spaces. It situates Aboriginal women's art and practices of resistance, matriarchy, healing and activism.
Key academic roles
| Dates | Role | Department / Organisation |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2014 - Present |
Aboriginal Lecturer Researcher
|
VU |
| Dates | Role & Department/Organisation |
|---|---|
| Jan 2014 -
Present
|
Aboriginal Lecturer Researcher
VU |
Key industry, community & government roles
| Dates | Role | Department/Organisation |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2012 - Jun 2020 |
Indigenous Advisory Group
|
Footscray Community Arts Centre |
| Feb 2008 - Jun 2010 |
Indigenous Community Advisory Board
|
City of Melbourne |
| Feb 2010 - Jun 2014 |
Founding round selection committee
|
Creative Victoria |
| Feb 2002 - May 2004 |
Indigenous Community Education Officer
|
Equal Opportunity Commission Victoria |
| Jan 2004 - Jan 2005 |
Classroom Teacher
|
Footscray City Primary School |
| Feb 2012 - Aug 2012 |
Senior Curator, First Peoples Gallery
|
Bunjilaka Aboriginal Cultural Centre, Melbourne Museum |
| Jan 2002 - Jan 2004 |
Teacher
|
Botanic Gardens |
| Jan 2001 - Dec 2002 |
Customer Service Officer
|
Bunjilaka Aboriginal Cultural Centre |
| Dec 2015 - Mar 2017 |
Curator of Sovereignty exhibition
|
ACCA |
| Dec 2016 - Mar 2017 |
Curator of Unfinished Business; perspectives on art and feminism
|
ACCA |
| Jan 2010 - Nov 2012 |
Indigenous Creative Producer
|
Footscray Community Arts Centre |
| Dates | Role & Department/Organisation |
|---|---|
| Jan 2012 - Jun 2020 |
Indigenous Advisory Group
Footscray Community Arts Centre |
| Feb 2008 - Jun 2010 |
Indigenous Community Advisory Board
City of Melbourne |
| Feb 2010 - Jun 2014 |
Founding round selection committee
Creative Victoria |
| Feb 2002 - May 2004 |
Indigenous Community Education Officer
Equal Opportunity Commission Victoria |
| Jan 2004 - Jan 2005 |
Classroom Teacher
Footscray City Primary School |
| Feb 2012 - Aug 2012 |
Senior Curator, First Peoples Gallery
Bunjilaka Aboriginal Cultural Centre, Melbourne Museum |
| Jan 2002 - Jan 2004 |
Teacher
Botanic Gardens |
| Jan 2001 - Dec 2002 |
Customer Service Officer
Bunjilaka Aboriginal Cultural Centre |
| Dec 2015 - Mar 2017 |
Curator of Sovereignty exhibition
ACCA |
| Dec 2016 - Mar 2017 |
Curator of Unfinished Business; perspectives on art and feminism
ACCA |
| Jan 2010 - Nov 2012 |
Indigenous Creative Producer
Footscray Community Arts Centre |
Awards
| Year | Award |
|---|---|
| 2007 |
Besen Family Foundation Scholarship, VCA - Besen Family Foundation |
| 2004 |
Trevor Nickolls Student Award - Wilin Centre for Indigenous Arts & Cultural Development, Victorian College of the Arts |
| 2001 |
Nyerna Studies, Bachelor of Education Community Service Award - College of Arts and Education, VU |
Keynote and invited speeches
| Year | Title/Description |
|---|---|
| 2019 |
Why Should I Suck My Belly In? Stella Prize Award Ceremony, Arts Centre, Melbourne (2019) My talk was published at SBS and NITV online: https://www.sbs.com.au/nitv/article/2019/04/09/why-should-i-suck-my-belly?fbclid=IwAR3_FVjWWx53P2e87F-3Npvg1Ulu0i-UussKDL7Fioru4o-pfCJdPgtHNJw |
| 2019 |
KIN Conversations Spoke and facilitated 3 public dialogues in collaboration with artist, filmmaker and academic researcher, Genevieve Grieves (AUS) and artist, choreographer and researcher, Emily Johnston (USA) for the NO Series at Performance Space New York, New York City, East Village, USA https://performancespacenewyork.org/shows/first-nations-dialogues-kin/ |
| 2018 |
De-colonising Arts and Arts Research Performance Space New York, COIL Festival (2018) New York City East Village, New York, USA https://static1.squarespace.com/static/56c3021c3c44d8211ead749b/t/5cbe81a8085229312627b45e/1555988916194/FIRST+NATIONS+DIALOGUES+-+NEW+YORK+2018+-+BlakDance+Summary+Report.pdf |
| 2018 |
Disrupting and Speaking Back and Blak Present Tense, RMIT RMIT Design Hub, Melbourne non/fictionLab http://nonfictionlab.net.au An RMIT University research centre for scholars, writers and creative practitioners across forms and disciplines, the non/fictionLab experiments with contemporary realities through critical and creative practice. 'We foster collaborative research projects in partnership with fellow scholars and artists, and with industries and communities, local and international, providing support for emerging researchers and a growing community of research students. non/fiction Lab helps create events, projects, programs and public presentations that feature a diverse range of local and international writers, artists and academics.' https://nonfictionlab.net.au/ |
| 2018 |
Thank you to the Warrior Black Women that Raised Me Stella Prize Long List Award Ceremony, Spiegeltent, Melbourne (2018) https://thestellaprize.com.au/2017/12/stella-sparks-party-and-2018-stella-prize-longlist-announcement/ My talk was published at SBS: https://www.sbs.com.au/topics/voices/family/article/2018/02/09/thank-you-warrior-black-women-who-raised-me |
| 2018 |
Sovereign Indigenous Curatorial Practice MADA Art Forum series of art talks Monash University Art and Design https://www.monash.edu/mada/events/mada-artforum-paola-balla |
| 2017 |
Aboriginal Women and Resistance WOW - Women of the World conference (UK), held at FCAC, Footscray, Melbourne in 2017. https://www.wowaustralia.com.au/past-wow-festivals/wow-melbourne-2017 |
| 2016 |
Writing Black to the Future Part of the Writing and Concepts series, event was held at ACMI, Fed Square, Melbourne My paper was published in: Writing + Concepts 2017 Volume III of Art + Australia's 'Documents' Series, launched at the NGV Art Book Fair 15 - 17 March, 2019. Edited by Jan van Schaik, published by Art + Australia. https://www.acmi.net.au/events/writing-concepts-paola-balla/ |
| 2013 |
Healing and Resistance Community Development Network Conference, Place and Displacement Conference |
Media appearances
01st June 2020
Indigenous art takes over Melbourne's galleries
In studio radio interview regarding Aboriginal art exhibition I co-curated with ABC Melbourne.
01st June 2020
All About Women 2020 Program Announced: Chanel Miller, Lindy West, Yumi Stynes And More
Article detailing the speakers including myself to appear at Sydney's Opera House for International Women's Day on March 8. By Alicia Vrajlal On Monday, the program lineup was announced ahead of the March 8 event, with international and local feminists, changemakers and media personalities set to front various talks and panels on the day. Media outlet: Huffington Post
06th March 2020
06/03/2020 5:50 PM AEDT | Updated 06/03/2020 6:06 PM AEDT Indigenous Females Talk 'White Feminist Movement' And If Women of Colour Have Been Excluded Throughout History First Nations women are speaking up about the impact of colonialism and whether they’ve been misrepresented through the white women’s feminism movement. By Alicia Vrajlal Huffington Post
16th October 2019
Indigenous offenders in Australia find new life in art
Indigenous offenders in Australia find new life in art Pioneering prison program aims to foster pride and creativity among country's Aboriginal population Media outlet: Nikkea Asian Review DAVID HOPKINS, Contributing writer October 16, 2019 12:09 JST
15th June 2019
Paola Balla: Blak Matriarchy JANA PERKOVIĆ IN CONVERSATION WITH PAOLA BALLA
Assemble Papers 'When Max Delany, artistic director of Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (ACCA), invited Paola Balla to curate an exhibition of Aboriginal art in 2016, it was the first such undertaking for ACCA in more than twenty years – and a resounding success.'
05th January 2018
'I can't believe we're still arguing this shit'
Interview with arts writer, regarding the feminist exhibition I co-curated at ACCA, by the Sydney Morning Herald
24th October 2017
Next Matriarch A next wave of strong First Nations women are changing the face of contemporary Indigenous art. By GINA FAIRLEY for Arts Hub Tuesday 24 October, 2017
09th October 2017
Next Matriarch An Ode to Sisterhood
Exhibition review of a group show my artwork featured in. Published on 09 October 2017 by FRUZSI KENEZ
15th December 2016
Female artists and curators making ACCA and NGV 'a little bit blacker'
Article interview based on comments I made at the launch of the exhibition I co-curated at ACCA. Interview appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald.
