Amanda is a Badamia Yamatji and Yued Noongar artist woman living and working on Wardandi land in Goomburrup.
I seek to engage with others by telling stories in a way that is ‘right way’ for me as an Aboriginal person and artist, and to make a contribution to making spaces culturally safe in the arts and beyond.
I come from experiences grappling with ‘otherness,’ often in the attempt to say something about the use of language and its role in the creation and maintenance of power structures.
I also honour the rage.
A striking neon glass sculpture is the artist’s first acquisition into the State Art Collection currently on display at the Art Gallery of Western Australia. Titled From our lip, mouths, throat and belly, the bright pink work takes the form of the Noongar word “Moorditj”, which means good or awesome in English.
A sound work accompanying the sculpture plays the voices of Aunty Gloria Hill and Aunty Lola Garlett sharing their stories. The work reflects on the weight of words, and the power of language in connecting with one’s cultural and familial heritage.
From our lip, mouths, throats and belly premiered at Fremantle Arts Centre’s (FAC) 2021 Revealed Exhibition, an annual showcase of Western Australia’s emerging Aboriginal artists. The work has gained iconic status and is an innovative use of neon glass.
In 2022 Amanda was a finalist in the John Stringer Art Prize at John Curtin Gallery, showed work at The Goods Shed, Bunbury Regional Art Gallery and the Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery and curated Noongar Country 2022, an annual exhibition at BRAG showcasing the work of Aboriginal artists working on Noongar boodja.
In 2023, Amanda had work in a group exhibition Emergences at the Holmes a Court Gallery at Vasse Felix and co-curated and created an installation work at the Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery for the Gallery’s second season Kanangoor/Shimmer. She also was part of Noongar Country 2023 at BRAG where her work My Blood, Your Blood, Our Blood was acquired by the City of Bunbury.
This year Amanda was judged best overall for in the her artwork Untitled, an installation piece in response to the 2023 Referendum. This work was part of the Constellations exhibition at BRAG. She also has work in N’yettin-ngal Wagur – Yeye Wongie , an exhibition at John Curtin Gallery which sees four Aboriginal artists responding to the Carrolup Collection housed at JCG.
Amanda’s commissioned public artwork is being installed; a neon work for the City of Kwinana, had a work in Revealed Exhibition at PICA acquired by artbank and was part of South West Biennial at BRAG. This NAIDOC, she was one of the Aboriginal artists featured as part of the projection project NAIDOC: Waveforms.
