EMILY BECKLEY: SUSUERI
Small Object Space
21 September - 9 November
Emily Beckley is an artist based in Horn Island, Torres Strait, Queensland who belongs to the language groups Meriam Mir and Kala Lagaw Ya. Her art is often concerned with reviving and maintaining cultural practice from her Meriam Mer ancestry. Working with The Indigenous Jewellery Project, Beckley has drawn on her experiences, stories and history of her culture from her parents from the Meriam – Samsep of Mer and Panai of Mabuiag to create works in metal as a way to connect the past to the future. According to Beckley, whilst the Torres Strait Islander art movement is famed for its warrior subject matter, her work is primarily concerned with showing a ‘softer, more romantic’ side of her culture.
An essay accompanying Susueri is available here.
IMAGE: Emily Beckley, Sabagorar (Bridal Pendant), 2018, copper, brass, silver, silk. The Indigenous Jewellery Project with Craft ACT, ANU workshop 2018. Image David Campbell
