‘I am a First Nations Gooreng Gooreng and South Sea Islander Woman. I have worked for over 40 years to progress the rights and services of Aboriginal Women, influencing policy reform and facilitating self-determination and social change. For the last 20 years I have been in higher education, adult community education and community development. I have a Bachelors and a Master in Education, and a PhD in Management…
– Sonya
- Title: Limitless
- Artist: Sonya
- Year: 2024
- Medium: Calligraphy on printed silk
I experienced homelessness at the most vulnerable point in my life, when I was diagnosed with a major illness and had extensive surgery. Now, no longer having the physical capacity to do everything that I had previously done for my husband, I endured screaming temper tantrums, smashed walls, kicked in doors and constant belittlement from my husband, his family and friends, chip, chip, chipping away at the core of my physical safety and mental well-being.
My eldest sister Dixie, told me, ‘You’re not putting up with this shit, you’re moving in with me!’ Grateful as I was, I responded, ‘But where am I going to sleep? You only have one bed.’ She replied that she would sleep on the floor. So, my bags were packed, and I made my move back into Redfern and my new normal. For six months I stayed with my sister whilst I, with the help of my big niece Yatungka, got myself housed in Waterloo. I wasn’t quite out of the dark yet, as now began my journey to health and safety, into something deeper, more meaningful and purposeful. Life didn’t suddenly become perfect, but it was certainly better. I could finally exhale. One day you will tell your story about how you overcame what you went through, and it’ll be someone else’s survival guide.
In this artwork, I used handwriting to express how I felt about certain situations. To help with the flow of my words I used calligraphy pens – black ink on beige vermillion, later printed on silk banners. My motivation for my artwork came primarily from raw, prolonged grief on losing my mother compounded with the complexity of loving a flawed person all my life. My artwork makes me feel inspired, hopeful and free. A gradual release from sorrow that had me trapped in a death spiral of pain, both emotional and physical. My message to audiences is this: Remember to surround yourself with a circle of love and care and people who will walk with you on your journey, even when that journey is alone you never really are alone. With me walk my family, my Ancestors. My Ancestors built a bridge of hands that stretched far into the Dreaming, the Dreaming of my mother, my grandparents and my brother and sisters.’
– Sonya