Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this page contains the name and story of an Aboriginal man who has passed away. These have been used with permission.
Image credit: Brian McKinnon, [Fig 2.] Bush Fire II, 2023. Photography by Christian Capurro, courtesy of the artist’s family.
SILENCE
LISTENING
EXHIBITION
IN DEVELOPMENT
Silence Listening is the recipient of ART ON THE MOVE’s Exhibition Development Initiative, a $10,000 grant that supports the development of regionally focused exhibitions across Western Australia.
Silence Listening is a truth-telling exhibition that honours the life and works of the late Dr Brian McKinnon, focusing on the silenced histories of Jambinu (Geraldton) and Mullewa in the Midwest. Central to this project is “silence listening,” a concept led by artist Charmaine Papertalk Green to describe the cultural process of tending to histories that have been actively denied within the settler imaginary. The exhibition will centre culture and dialogue while exploring the enduring impact of colonisation fostering understanding and collective healing.
The exhibition includes paintings from Dr McKinnon’s PhD collection I Used to Walk So Softly on this Land and audio recordings of him discussing his art. Dr Charmaine Papertalk Green and Dr George Criddle will also contribute new commissioned work including two large-scale collaborative pieces addressing themes of listening, working together, activism, resistance and truth-telling.
CURATOR
Ron Bradfield Jnr
ARTISTS
Late Dr Brian McKinnon (Amangu, Noongar), Dr Charmaine Papertalk Green (Wajarri, Badimaya), and Dr George Criddle
UPCOMING DATES
Opening June 2025
Museum of Geraldton
Yamatji Country
The Exhibition Development Initiative is made possible through the Regional Exhibition Touring Boost with funding managed by Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries and from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development and delivered by ART ON THE MOVE.
