Three generations of artists retell ancient and changing Menang Noongar stories in exhibition at Town Hall

Three generations of a Menang Noongar family are displaying their artwork at Albany Town Hall in an exhibition named Generations. Lynette Knapp, her daughter Shandell Cummings, and her two granddaughters Jaymee and Jessikah Woods have collaboratively created the exhibition in a retelling of ancient and modern Noongar stories. The exhibition runs throughout Reconciliation Week and offers a peek at the shifting landscape of First Nations art, displaying the continuing journeys of the artists. Knapp’s artwork is a shift away from her traditional black and white art style, instead using a kaleidoscope of colours. “My family, their country goes from Denmark in the west right up to the Nullarbor, and they have many camps along there,” Knapp said. “We’ve been on this land for many thousands of years and the circles are a representation of thousands of years of campfires.” Cummings stand out piece The Matriarch is markedly different to her other works on display, using a combination of traditional acrylic painting and a vector style acrylic paint pen. A portrait of a red-tailed black cockatoo, the work captivates its audience. “I sort of wanted to capture something that really focused on the generations and the females in the family,” Cummings said. “So that piece is called The Matriarch, it’s pretty much representative of mum. “I wanted to capture something like that for this exhibition, and that’s how I got this painting. “I really like the the inclusion of the contemporary style that I’m moving more towards as well as the product development.” A hydrographer by day and artist by night, Jaymee Woods’ fascination and dedication to water and its movement is lovingly detailed in her work Boodja Kaatitjin. “Water is a huge part of our culture, not just my job,” she said. “The blues represent water and the lines are waterfalls, while the circles are campfires. “The green is the land, and the brown circles are two families travelling through country.” Yorga Yierd, a captivating round piece of contrasting black and gold, is one of Woods’ smaller pieces and took about three to four days to complete. “I’ve always wanted to do a painting with gold piping, it’s meant to represent how rich our land and our culture is,” Woods said. Fire Galaxy is Jessikah Wood’s interpretation of the importance of burnt land and how it can provide riches and resources that can be used for food and water. “It represents where we will have our homes, and then burn on to places that have been previously burned, representing the intensity of fires and how it can be hotter in some spots and cooler in others, ” she said. The Generations Exhibition will be displayed at Albany Town Hall until June 21.