FACE ME: THE ART OF DEAFHOOD
7 AUG - 3 OCT 21
GALLERY 2 & 3
Face Me: The Art of Deafhood is an intentional bringing together of works by d/Deaf and Hard of Hearing artists, both local and national. Showcasing the work and stories of Deaf people of Australia, in a visual and tactile way, the exhibition reflects the very nature of the rich language and culture of the Deaf community.
By bringing together work from a range of Deaf artists, we create an opportunity for connection and in a world that is increasingly fragmented, yet intrinsically and powerfully interconnected by shared experience, culture and identity.
Curated by Sigrid Macdonald
Featured artists: Claire Bridge & Chelle Destefano with Haley Martin, Oliver Eliott, Katrina Garvey, Kai Gecso-Thorndycraft, Angie Goto, Willie Mutton, Sue Jo Wright and Ron Wild.
CLAIRE BRIDGE & CHELLE DESTEFANO WITH HALEY MARTIN
Too Loud (exclusive preview of one story of many from What I Wish I’d Told You) 2021
multichannel video projection, with embedded animated captions and audio, 2:23 mins
Auslan story, Haley Martin.
Video and sound production, translation, captions, animation, and voice-over by Claire Bridge.
Too Loud, told by Haley Martin in collaboration with Claire Bridge and Chelle Destefano, features in What I Wish I’d Told You. Haley is a First Nations Worimi and Dainggati woman. She brings the rhythm, intensity and politics of slam poetry and truth-telling to her compelling Auslan storytelling. Haley’s story is a powerful preview of what is to come in 2022 at the launch of What I Wish I’d Told You, as an immersive major exhibition of stories told by Deaf community.
What I Wish I’d Told You encompasses a series of over 45 Auslan video stories by Deaf storytellers which bring people into a Deaf World, centring Deaf agency and Deaf voices.
Stories have been contributed by a diverse group of Deaf; including Deaf Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, Deaf LGBTQI, Deaf/blind, Deaf elders and Muslim Deaf from all over these lands we call Australia.
For centuries there has been exclusion and oppression of Deaf people. Sign language communities have been denied their own language. Galleries and museum spaces have historically excluded and overlooked Deaf voices and art. What I Wish I’d Told You revives Deaf culture through inclusion, expression, collaboration, and presence.
What I Wish I’d Told You has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council for the Arts, its arts funding and advisory body; supported by the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria; supported by Regional Arts Victoria and supported by City of Melbourne - Covid-19 Arts Grants. With special thanks and acknowledgement to Joanna Agius OAM, (Narungga), as First Nations Cultural Advisor.