Barerarerungar

Barerarerungar means 'Country' in Boonwurrung, a language from Kulin Nation, where Maree Clarke lives. It draws from the artist's three decades of reclaiming and resurfacing south-east First Nations art and cultural practices. From the MCA façade, overlooking Sydney Harbour, she features river reeds, a symbol representing safe travels and friendship.

This multi-disciplinary Yorta Yorta/Wamba Wamba/Mutti Mutti/Boonwurrung artist is collaborating with building projection specialist The Electric Canvas to transform the façade of the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia. River reeds stand tall, referencing her famed oversized River Reed necklaces – a communal practice that often sees Maree congregate with family to collect, soak, dye and dry the raw materials from their natural environment. This impressive, stunning projection pays tribute to practices on Country, while also creating a space for communal reflection at the heart of Vivid Sydney.

Artist Biography

Maree Clarke is a Yorta Yorta/Wamba Wamba/Mutti Mutti/Boonwurrung artist and designer. With a career spanning three decades, she is a pivotal figure in the reclamation of south-east First Nations art and cultural practices that were lost to colonialisation.

Her multi-media work utilises traditional and contemporary materials and her practice incorporates photography, painting, sculpture and video installation. Maree's award-winning work has been exhibited internationally and nationally, including the NGV's 2021 Maree Clarke: Ancestral Memories, her first major retrospective. Maree was recently awarded the prestigious Yalingwa Fellowship for her outstanding contribution to creative practice in the First Peoples arts community.