Our Future, Together
When I was creating this artwork for NAIDOC 2024, I had a very clear vision of what I wanted the story to be for the piece. The theme 'Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud and Proud' means a lot of different things to different people. For me, I see this as a very strong and powerful theme to highlight that we (Indigenous people) need to be strong, loud and proud, now more than ever. We need to keep the conversation going, about not only our past, but our future. I believe that everyone has a role to play to achieve true Reconciliation.
The artwork tells a story about the past, present and the future. It shows three journey lines and three full meeting places, one for each of those times. We often get carried away and forget what our goal is. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are strong and powerful and I hope that this theme allows them to feel that, if they were not already. For non-Indigenous people, I hope that they can wear this artwork to show their support and respect for my people.