Kelly Koumalatsos has picked up the major prize in the annual Koorie Art Show for her work 'Portrait of Sister-in-laws'. Queenscliff-based Kelly Koumalatsos has been named major prize winner in the seventh annual Koorie Art Show.
The Wergaia, Wemba Wemba artists collected the Creative Victoria Award for Excellence in Any Media, incorporating a cash prize of $10,000, for her work Portrait Of Sister In Laws; Wemba Wemba Great Aunty Frieda Stewart And Wergaia Great Grandmother Eleanor Stewart, 2019.
Featuring a possum-fur printed blouse, and accompanying photograph, the work serves as a portrait of Kelly’s ancestors.
“It represents the strength of the woman in my family and their ability to do more than simply survive the oppression of the times,” she said in a statement about the work. “The possum fur print symbolises the cultural identity of Granny and Aunty regardless of the colonising life that was around them.
“Granny, who was born on Ebenezer Mission in 1887, was a strong and determined woman who had kept her own dictionary of Wergaia language.”
The photograph was taken early 1900's.
The Show is the only exhibition in Victoria dedicated to showcasing the work of Koorie and Victorian based Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists. Ninety artists from across Victoria submitted works.
The Wergaia, Wemba Wemba artists collected the Creative Victoria Award for Excellence in Any Media, incorporating a cash prize of $10,000, for her work Portrait Of Sister In Laws; Wemba Wemba Great Aunty Frieda Stewart And Wergaia Great Grandmother Eleanor Stewart, 2019.
Featuring a possum-fur printed blouse, and accompanying photograph, the work serves as a portrait of Kelly’s ancestors.
“It represents the strength of the woman in my family and their ability to do more than simply survive the oppression of the times,” she said in a statement about the work. “The possum fur print symbolises the cultural identity of Granny and Aunty regardless of the colonising life that was around them.
“Granny, who was born on Ebenezer Mission in 1887, was a strong and determined woman who had kept her own dictionary of Wergaia language.”
The photograph was taken early 1900's.
The Show is the only exhibition in Victoria dedicated to showcasing the work of Koorie and Victorian based Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists. Ninety artists from across Victoria submitted works.