WELLBORN
Cultural Appropriation

2022
mixed media on canvas
110 x 130cm

2022 Wynne Prize Submission | Three Brother Mountains, NSW

Cultural appropriation is the stain on our existence.

The very fact that society as a whole cannot see the countless fixtures of cultural misrepresentation merely highlights the depth of growth still needed amongst our peers.

As a society and a country, we far too often overlook the value and importance of cultural appropriation in our storytelling and decision making.

Like an infection that spreads and progressively gets worse, the willingness to ignore this issue can only lead to a greater fundamental flaw in our society as a whole.

We can never grow if we are unable to learn, and we can never learn if we are unable to see where we can improve.

When I began this piece, it was but a journey of expression and discovery, I was unaware of the direction the piece was taking me. As the work developed and the image came before me, I soon learnt the value of what was being created.

Although this piece represents the Three Brother Mountains, it is not the story of the three mountains as told by the different Aboriginal groups of the area.

This piece holds to it a greater message as it highlights the importance of cultural awareness in our approach to stories of Country and Culture.

Of the value, beauty and depth of the Culture that carries this land through time.