Artists statement

Burrundy (Dark) Sky Part 2 (Mali Marrng/Mallee Sky series) 2022 by Gail Harradine and collaborator Belinda Eckermann explores First Nations Peoples kinship to the land, waterways and sky. This work is part of a significant series that gives form to the invisible and unseen personal, familial and community narrative of connection to landscape. Gail Harradine and Belinda Eckermann’s first-time collaboration merges digital photography, entomological research, electron microscopic imaging and First Nations cultural practices, to explore a shared knowledge and connection to the landscape around Lake Albacutya –Ngalukgutya in Victoria Mallee region. The work fits into the Wyndham Art Gallery curatorial collection theme of First Nations Foregrounding and Futurism: Foregrounding Frist Nations knowing and being as a way to work with place, story and connection; and works to engage with new mediums and forms of artmaking engaging with new technologies and innovation in creative making.

Historical information

Gail Harradine
Gail Harradine is a Wotjobaluk, Jadawadjali, Djubagalk artist, curator, and educator. Growing up in Dimboola, Victoria, Gail was nurtured by a staunch family in the heart of Wotjobaluk Country. She has completed eight years of study, including a Postgraduate in Art Curatorial Studies (with Thesis) at Melbourne University and a Master of Arts (Arts Management) with Distinction in 2022 at RMIT.
Gail's longstanding arts practice is deeply influenced by family history, identity, kinship, and connection. She is passionate about expanding and reflecting on the concepts of truth and integrity in valuing cultural knowledge. In her work, meaning and memory converge through photography, prints, and painting, using symbolic layers intertwined with dynamic figures and ceremonial landscapes. This creates a world that merges Creation Stories with personal tragedy and triumph.

Belinda Eckermann
Belinda Eckermann lives and works in Victoria’s Wimmera/Mallee Region. Her current practice is intrinsically tied to her local environment. In 2013, she undertook her Masters in Visual Arts. She currently investigating the native Bardi Grub and Rain Moth and modes of incorporating their natural interventions with their environment into her creative practice. Eckermann has exhibited regularly throughout regional Victoria since 2009 and recently won Best Emerging Artist at the Knox Immerse Festival. She is also the Founder and Director of Turbo Gallery, Rainbow, Victoria.