Raymond
Ngarrindjeri
Hi, my name is Raymond and I’m in Year 11. I’m a proud Ngarrindjeri person and I enjoy making music and creating Aboriginal art. I play guitar both inside and outside of school, and I enjoy staying active.
MEET
THE STORY BEHIND
MY ARTWORK
My story has different kinds of colours that shape myself in how I experience my culture. The focus of my art is the Murray River which goes straight through the middle to one page to the other to show how big it is. It goes through Ngarrindjeri and Barkindji Country which is why I have used two meeting circles. The blue circle represents Ngarrindjeri to show connection to the river as well as the swan, my totem. I have used tracks that show leading to the mobs, taking me home. The colours in the background I have recreated the terrain of Country which is why I have used green to show there is still life in the land, preserving it. The browns and oranges show the desert and how it is dry. The yellow circles have people in them and they are my elders.
IN RAYMOND’S WORDS
What does your art
mean to you?
My artwork is about myself and how
I connect to my culture and the land.
That is how I tell my stories. I am
inspired by my Elders who have
showed me culture and how I can
put it in art without words. I am
a visual person, so this helps me. The
Murray River is my childhood place
and inspires my art. I feel like I
belong and I feel safe. There is a
really deep connection to it and
I feel at home.
What inspired your art for
the Cultural Threads
collection?
The swan is my animal totem,
and it is a part of the Murray River.
It inspired me to make this design
because it is part of my culture
and who I am.
What does this
opportunity mean
to you?
The opportunity shares how far I
have come. I am really proud of
myself, to have this opportunity
is something not everyone gets
to have. It gives me a feeling of
accomplishment and relief since
I am expressing my feelings and
stories to the whole world.
How does it feel
to have your work
worn all around
Australia?
I am very proud of myself because
it will give me the joy of making something I will look back on in the future. My nanna would be proud of me, it is cool that my elders can wear something I have made. It will be surprising to see my designs in not
just South Australia but all-around Australia too.
What do you think students will think about, or learn, when they wear your artwork?
When I think about my life I think about it being like a movie, being endless. The start, the climax, the
build up and it keeps on going. My
art shows a little part of my story focusing on what my culture means
to me. I want people to reflect on
their lives like I do and grow from things in the past and then share
their stories to build relationships.
A MESSAGE FROM
When people wear my artwork, I want them to feel the comfort that I feel when I am back home. The river, Swan and culture remind me that I can rely on them when I don’t have anything else to get me back on track. I think the current and next generations should know we can do anything; it will give them the same guidance I have.
EVERY CULTURAL THREADS
COLLECTION BEGINS WITH
A STUDENT ARTIST.
We listen. We learn. We walk together.
Thank you for supporting young Aboriginal
artists and helping their stories be seen,
heard and worn with pride.
