close to the wind: Lisa Waup
Exhibition
close to the wind is a new body of work that celebrates Lisa Waup’s sustained exploration of printmaking. Investigating new inks and printing techniques, she has revealed an intuitive process that eloquently illustrates her life’s journey of discovery and connection. Her practice is concerned with the hidden histories of Australia, often referencing the ongoing impacts of colonization and the layers of colonial intervention that continue to impact First Peoples and the environment.
A significant element in Waup’s practice is the First Nation’s concept of Country. This extends to the spiritual and cultural aspects of the land, encompassing the sky and waterways and our individual responsibilities to the native plants and wildlife. The natural environment is a grounding element in her work, in which she encourages a narrative of respect, engagement, and activism.
For Waup, motherhood, family, and Country are connected because the act of making allows her to unite histories of dispossession with the strength and resilience of First Nations families, including her own. Incorporating found and historical materials, she addresses the hidden histories First Peoples have held alone. Weaving in objects that may have otherwise been discarded, she gives them a voice.
close to the wind is a personal exploration of her life experiences and in many ways her works could be defined as self-reflection. Though her stories are not always unique, they are her own. By creating this work, Waup shares with her audience the importance of deep listening, being present, and advocating for family and Country.
— Hannah Presley, Guest Curator
Connections to the land and sea deliver me to a place of belonging and peace. It surrounds me, it nurtures me. It delivers me calm. It inspires me to do what I do as an artist. I can hear the old ones calling me.
— Lisa Waup
About
Lisa Waup is a mixed-cultural First Nations artist and curator who was born in Narrm (Melbourne). Her multidisciplinary practice encompasses a diverse range of media, including weaving, printmaking, photography, sculpture, fashion, and digital art. With a deep connection to the symbolic power of materials, her work reflects her personal experiences, family history, Country, and broader historical narratives. Through her practice, Waup weaves together threads of lost history, ancestral relationships, motherhood, and the passage of time that culminates in contemporary expressions that speak to her past, present, and future. In her words, “As a multidisciplinary artist, I’m guided to utilize so many different mediums—they really talk to me—and in turn they’re able to explain my story in different ways, they all connect with each other. Material diversity is a big part of what I do in my practice—I’m happy to move across various media and am always open to exploring new materials and approaches that connect to the work I am making at the time.”
Hannah Presley is an Aboriginal curator living on Taungurung Country in regional Victoria. Her father’s family is Marri Ngarr and originate from the Moyle River region in the Northern Territory. She is currently the Senior Curator, Art Museums at University of Melbourne and a Director of Agency. Presley was recently Curator of Indigenous Art at the National Gallery of Victoria; curator of Primavera 2021 at Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney; and Assistant Curator for Tracey Moffatt My Horizon at 57th Venice Biennale. She was also the inaugural Yalingwa curator at Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, where she curated A Lightness of Spirit is the Measure of Happiness. Presley draws on inspiration from her early experience working in the arts in central Australia. Her practice focuses on the development of creative projects with artists, and working closely to learn about the techniques, history, and community that inform their making to help guide her curatorial practice.
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