Birrpai by Ngioka-Bunda Heath
Co-commissioned by Chunky Move and Next Wave, Ngioka Bunda-Heath’s new dance work and photographic exhibition explores, Birrpai the idea of shifting the gaze and refocusing the colonial lens that has publicly framed her ancestors.
Extending on her 2019 YIRRAMBOI Festival work, Blood Quantum, about her mother’s story, Birrpai turns to Ngioka’s father’s heritage; to her great-grandmother captured by the camera of a ‘culturalist’. She puts a First Nation perspective on colonial photography alongside contemporary dance that has taken her to stages around the world.
Gallery Exhibition Opening and Welcome to Country: 8 May
Photography exhibition: 8-23 May
Performances: 8, 9 (Auslan interpreted), 12-14 May
Black Dot Gallery, Brunswick