The power of First Nations creativity and storytelling was on full display at the Fremantle Arts Centre last Friday evening with the launch of two extraordinary exhibitions. The exhibitions revealed the immense diversity of talents that First Nations people possess in the arts and culture scene. The collection curated by Zali Morgan
Night Fishing with Ancestors by the Karrabing Film Collective is an evocative, thought-provoking and at times painful short film that explores Indigenous experience of trading and how racism and colonialism are not finished in the minds of Indigenous peoples. The trading of stories, food and other things between Indigenous and Maccassans that occurred during the 1700s is relayed in vivid detail. The film captivates through its oral-story telling which is filmed mostly through Iphones capturing the current existence of communities in the Northern Territory.
The film runs just under twenty-five minutes and takes place in a conversational style that foregrounds the possibility of Indigenous life without European colonisation. The figure of European colonists and scientists are told through haunting zombies illustrating the intergenerational trauma that was wrought by disease and violence. The impact of climate change is evident in the final scenes of the film, but the overwhelming sense of this film is the spirit of ‘ancestors’. This is best seen through scenes which detail and show the traditional knowledge in looking after the land for thousands of years.
The film offers an alternative to life without the arrival of Captain Cook and the destruction wrought by colonisation. The reemerging connection to crabbing and fishing at the heart of what Karrabing means is deeply felt in the lives of Indigenous people told in this story. There are several scenes which highlight the power of First Nations Knowledge and wisdom in caring for Country and community. The remarkable creation of fish traps and their purpose is captured in stunning footage that exemplifies the Indigenous ecological wisdom that is ongoing in this community in the NT.
The Karrabing collective is a family arts and media group that makes films with “no storyboard, no script we make our films from our Life and lands” which in Night Fishing with Ancestors is a powerful tale of Indigenous sovereignty.
Night Fishing with Ancestors shows from May 3 – July 27, 2025.
The It’s Always Been Always collection curated by Zali Morgan centers Blak women’s Artistic voices and their connection to Community, Country and Culture. The collection brought together new and existing works from a collection of artists including Yindjibarndi woman Wendy Hubert, Badamia Yamatji and Yued Noongar Amanda Bell, Wiraduri and Irish women Jazz Money and Bibbluman/Noongar women Yabini Kickett.
The exhibition shines a light on Blak motherhood and their vital role in transmitting cultural knowledge and protecting Country. The art demonstrated the unbreakable voices of Blak women and their stories of strength and kinship.
The It’s Always been Always collection is on from Saturday 3 May – Sunday 3 August 2025.
Article by Harrison French, Communications Specialist at Garlett Group