JSO X GUAM - Gunimaa Silver Pendant Rachel Bywaters

JSO X GUAM | Limited Editions

‘Jewellery & Small Objects x Griffith University Art Museum’ is an initiative that gives an undergraduate student an opportunity to pitch and execute a limited-edition sterling silver piece of jewellery responding to one of GUAM’s exhibitions. The object is developed with JSO staff support and JSO sterling silver. These are sold with a percentage of  proceeds going to the artist and to GUAM, with material costs returned to JSO. The silver from any unsold pieces is reused in the next range. For the first edition Rachel Bywaters has created two pendants (‘Gunimaa’ and ‘Guurramali’) in response to GUAM’s recent exhibition ‘Taring Padi: Tanah Tumpah Darah’. Each pendant is 3.4 x 2.5cm and includes a custom printed hessian gift bag.

Artist Statement: Gunimaa

Drawing inspiration from Taring Padi's exhibition at GUAM ‘Tanah Tumpah Darah’, which refers to 'the emotions generated by remembering one's motherland' in Indonesian, the silver casted medallions titled ‘Gunimaa’, which translates to 'Mother Earth' in Gamilaraay language, reflect how the earth envelopes, sustains and nurtures us just like a mother. The hands supporting the guli (native millet), a native grain that Gomeroi people have traditionally and sustainably been harvesting and cultivating, baking highly nutritious 'bush bread' for thousands of years, highlights the deep interconnectedness of country for First Nations peoples. This echoes Taring Padi's Land, Water, Earth, Call me Mother wood carving relief print which portrays a strong message about environmental awareness and conservation of natural resources, possessing a shared appreciation of the motherlands whose spirits and ancient soil run deep into our veins like deep roots.

About Rachel Bywaters

Rachel Bywaters lives on Kabi Kabi country and is a proud descendant of the peoples of the Gamilaroi nation on her father's side and has European bloodlines on her mother's side. After a career in the Community Services sector, Bywaters is pursuing her passion for creative expression and storytelling at the acclaimed Contemporary Australian Indigenous Art program at Griffith Queensland College of Art and Design. Central to her multidisciplinary practice is the innovative use of societal artefacts to express socio-political issues and decolonial perspectives. Bywaters explores themes of First Nations truth-telling, resistance and resilience, drawing on her personal history and lived experiences. She has participated in group exhibitions in Victoria and Queensland and currently has artworks exhibited at the Queensland State Archives.