Virginia Keft Solo Exhibition

Exhibition opening event:
Saturday 8 October, 4:30 - 6:30pm

Trading hours:
Mon-Fri: 10:30am - 4:30pm Sat: 11:00am - 4:00pm

In this exhibition Dr Virginia Keft takes inspiration from the natural world, in particular the view of geera (Mt Keira) from her backyard in Dharawal Country. Virginia is fascinated by the local flying fox population that flap and screech as they fly overhead nightly. However, the themes of these works extend far beyond the fenceline - speaking to questions of identity and belonging.The weaving techniques used by Dr Keft have been carried across thousands of years by women Elders, each one carrying this knowledge for the next generation to come. Weaving practice is a deeply personal expression of Dr Keft’s connection to Culture, place and belonging.

As a child I learned sewing and textile skills by watching my mother. She learned by watching her mother. An improvisational and intuitive seamstress, my mother is as skilled at hand sewing and crocheting as she is on the sewing machine. I sat on the floor in the messy sewing room chatting to her while she deftly moved the fabric beneath the whirring needle, stitching and knotting her work into existence. As an adult I sat by the Barwon River with Elders and learned ancient weaving practices. Sitting on the same earth my ancestors cared for thousands of years, I listened to Country and shared stories with the women while we worked the grasses and raffia into existence. - Dr Virginia Keft

This exhibition is about identity, Culture, and Country. It is about knowledges given, knowledges stolen and knowledges reclaimed. Threads of knowledges are stitched into the works both symbolically and physically; a patchwork that connects places and people. Snippets of language and stories stitched together across time, connect past, present and future. Knowledges that were, that are, that will be. Knowledges that are both private and cultural at the same time.
The Colonial project is about erasing the cultural traditions and practices of Indigenous Peoples and dislocating them from Country. Learning, then, is an act of resistance. Walking on Country is an act of defiance. The works in this exhibition traverse what it means to be a Murrawarri woman born and raised off-Country - attempting to maintain Culture that is deeply tied to place and Community whilst living afar.