Keep the Fire Burning – First Nations Art Exhibition at the Coal Loader Centre for Sustainability

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Lucy Simpson, Baayangalibiyaay, 2023, Yuwaalaraay, approx.14 cm x 8 cm varied. Image courtesy the artist.

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Lucy Simpson, Baayangalibiyaay, 2023, Yuwaalaraay, approx.14 cm x 8 cm varied. Image courtesy the artist

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Dr Virginia Keft, Matjam (Flying Fox) Coming Home After the Fire, 2024. Image courtesy the artist

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Dr Virginia Keft, mirrinj (star), 2022 [Detail]. Image courtesy the artist

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Dr Virginia Keft, Weaving Connections, “Guraban: Where Salt Water Meets Freshwater”, Hurstville Museum & Gallery, 2023. Image courtesy the artist

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Nathan Mudyi Sentance and Kieran Mpetyane Satour, 2024, YAMANDIRRA, still from Visual poem filmed on Super 8

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North Sydney Council invites you to Keep the Fire Burning, a First Nations community art exhibition, proudly presented on Cammeraygal Country, in Tunnel One of the Coal Loader Centre for Sustainability, from 12 October to 3 November 2024.

Taking its title from the 2024 NAIDOC theme Keep the Fire Burning, this free exhibition explores the transformative and enduring power of fire in First Nations culture, art, and storytelling; breathing life into stories, both old and new.

Curated by North Shore based Noongar curator, basket weaver and writer, Jodie Dowd, Keep the Fire Burning features work from eight First Nations artists, who have drawn on the fire element in their creations or stories.

Fiery tales of passion are shared through sounds and moving images, just as fire is used to eco-dye silks and weavings, and forms are forged through flames to create glass works and designs on possum skin cloaks.

Visitors will experience a rich tapestry of artworks that cleanse, protect, and renew, reflecting the deep connection between fire and First Nations traditions, from:

Wandi Wandian artist Amethyst Downing-McLeod, Gamilaroi artist Emma Hicks, muruwari artist Virginia Keft, minyungbal and South seas islander Courtney Marsh-Curry, Guringai and Yuin artist Amanda Jane Reynolds, Gurindji/Malngin, Pertame Arrernte and Worimi lens-based artist Kieran Mpetyane Satour, Wiradjuri artist Nathan Mudyi Sentence, Yuwaalaraay wirringgaa Lucy Simpson, and Noongar artist and exhibition curator Jodie Dowd.

A special collaborative artwork was also created by First Nations community members at a weaving workshop held in the lead up to the exhibition opening, led by muruwari artist Virginia Keft.

Keep the Fire Burning invites the community to engage with the profound cultural significance of fire in First Nations art and to reflect on its role as a catalyst for change, healing, and continuity. The exhibition is a powerful reminder of the enduring connection between land, community, and culture.

“This is an important exhibition and a first for our municipality, bringing together First Nations artists who live, work, or have previously lived in this region, with the expert guidance of First Nations curator Jodie Dowd,” says Therese Cole, North Sydney Council Chief Executive Officer.

“Keep the Fire Burning refers not only to the use of fire over tens of thousands of years but also the passion and fire to continue as the contemporary and living culture that is part of the fabric of North Sydney.”

Keep the Fire Burning will open to the public from 12 October to 3 November, from 10am to 3.30pm (Thursday to Sunday only).

Open to Public — 12 October

Everyone’s welcome to the opening event on Saturday 12 October, with catering provided by the inspirational team at Bush to Bowl, a social enterprise aimed at creating a healing space and platform for First Nations people by connecting to Country and their traditional foodways. Join us from 1pm to 3.30pm. No registration required.

Saturday 26 — Free Public Programs

On Saturday 26 October there is also an opportunity to take part in free public programs, gain a deeper insight into the cultural significance of the artworks, and engage directly with the artists and their creative processes.

Join Wiradjuri artist Nathan Mudyi Sentence for a free Artist–led exhibition tour, running every hour from 10am to 1pm. Book now via Humantix.

Or drop in for a yarn with Noongar weaver and Keep the Fire Burning exhibition curator Jodie Dowd at a special Keep the Fire Burning weaving circle and learn to weave your own bracelet while Jodie shares stories from the exhibition and her own weaving practice. Drop in anytime from 11am to 1pm, no registrations required.

Especially for children aged 5+, a free clay building workshop with Gamilaroi artist Dr Emma Hicks, will be held during the school holidays, on the day prior to the exhibition opening and includes an exhibition preview, Friday 11 October 2024. Book now via Humantix. 30-minute sessions run from 1pm to 4pm.