A new exhibition, Matriarch, has opened at the University of Wollongong's Gallery, honouring eight remarkable Aboriginal women from the region.
The impressive display of charcoal drawings was the culmination of 18 months of highly detailed sketching by self-taught Murri artist Broc Piazza, from Corrimal.
After a smoking ceremony, Broc welcomed guests to the exhibition opening with a solo didgeridoo performance.
He thanked the special women in his life who supported his Matriarch project, dedicating the exhibition to "all strong black women".
"Black women are beautiful and strong and always giving," Broc said
"The black community stands on the shoulders of black women. Without the matriarch, a lot of society just doesn't work the way that it does of the way that it needs to. Being a matriarch isn't about power or how much noise you can make. Being a matriarch is about leading by example. Our matriarchs know that there's leadership in love, be that for family, community, culture or Country.
"Most of us tell stories of being raised by our mum or grandma or our aunties, We share stories about the black women who created the safe spaces for us to grow and learn, who told us to dream big and encouraged us on our way. A lot of us fellas were taught how to be strong black men by strong black women. Black women change the lives and the worlds they come into contact with, just by doing what they're doing with whatever space, energy, capacity and opportunity that they have.
"This exhibition is just a little moment in time and space, a celebration of some of the amazing matriarchs who organically came into my life. Black women who were just awesome and treated me so well.
"It's my act of appreciation for them, and the time and the energy they shared with me. These portraits tell an important story, that there are so many sides to black women and so many ways of being a black woman, and all of them are valid."
The Matriarch exhibition continues at the UOW Gallery (Building 29) until Wednesday, 11 December and is in tandem with Sustainable Snapshots – Putting Country into Focus, which invites visitors to reflect on their relationship with the land. The exhibition showcases perspectives from UOW staff and students, emphasising the intrinsic link between caring for Country and environmental sustainability.
