ACE’s latest multi-sensory exhibitions Somewhat Eternal led by Justine Youssef and Sisters of Lartelare by Kaurna Women’s Art Collective reveal alternative stories of displacement, connection and cultural preservation.

SOMEWHAT ETERNAL

A new installation by Darug/Sydney-based artist Justine Youssef addresses cycles of dispossession under the history of settler colonialism. Now on show at Adelaide Contemporary Experimental (ACE), her installation, Somewhat Eternal, encompasses video, textiles, text and scent to reflect on the interconnected impacts of displacement and the endurance of rituals and beliefs.

The three-channel video installation exhibits the artist’s aunt performing R’sasa, a traditional alchemic practice of clearing the evil eye.

Co-curated by Stella Rosa McDonald, Tulleah Pearce and Patrice Sharkey, Somewhat Eternal invites us to “challenge our own everyday assumptions and question authoritative histories and systems”.

“In Somewhat Eternal, Justine interrogates and critiques her own cultural inheritances. By witnessing her questioning, we are offered an approach we might bring into our own lives,” says Stella.

“Whether we know it or not, colonisation impacts us all. Justine’s work leads us to understanding and, hopefully, a better future.”

Somewhat Eternal uses intersecting narratives and plant scented embroidered textiles to explore the role of plants in settler agriculture and migrant experience.

“Justine has described the plants as collaborators in world building – this is true for the role they play in society and in the context of the exhibition, where they infiltrate the senses and guide our understanding,” says Stella.

Stella stresses the importance of “considering the broader social, political and historical implications around a work of art or a practice”.

“Justine’s work is tethered to complex, global issues of displacement and its causes. She approaches these issues with integrity and an exquisite material sensitivity, which is why we believed this was an important and urgent project to bring to audiences,” she says.

This exhibition is co-commissioned by Adelaide Contemporary Experimental, the Institute of Modern Art and UTS Gallery & Art Collection.

SISTERS OF LARTELARE

Grounded in understanding and compassion, Sisters of Lartelare is a powerful interruption of colonial narratives. The multi-sensory exhibition, produced by Kaurna Women’s Art Collective, shares Kaurna history, stories and culture connected to Yartapuulti/Port Adelaide.

Led by emerging Kaurna Leader Bonny Brodie with guidance from Aunty Margaret Brodie, the intergenerational exhibition builds on cultural mapping workshops, public exhibitions and community events to teach the cultural practices of First Nations female leaders.

The multidisciplinary project opens discussion and skill sharing, including reciting songlines and providing lessons in distilling scent from native plants as a means of preserving and transmitting cultural memory.

“We all find this experience exciting and are looking forward to building our own knowledge on significant native plants and what scents come out of these programs,” says Bonny.

“As the second evolution of Sisters of Lartelare, I feel like we are all on the same page; learning and sharing ideas to help keep us culturally grounded and engaged.”

Sisters of Lartelare aims to build connections with other influential First Nations women.

Sisters of Lartelare site visit (2024), Yartapuulti/Port Adelaide. Photography by Lana Adams.

“Lartelare was a Kaurna woman born in Glanville, [who] was my grandmother’s grandmother, [with] both significance to the Port Adelaide area. That’s where half the name came from, formed with Sisters of the community – Sisters of Lartelare,” Bonny says.

“As a women’s group we all have grown up in families… where it’s the women who have stood out, whether it’s our mother, Aunties or grandmothers who have been our role models and guided us through life, looking after us to become the next leaders in our community.”

Adelaide Contemporary Experimental is located in the Lion Arts Centre, North Terrace. Find out more at ace.gallery.