Artist Activation | Sharyn Egan – Balga Waangkiny (Balga Talking) Yarning Together

Artist Activation | Sharyn Egan – Balga Waangkiny (Balga Talking) Yarning Together

Join us for Balga Waangkiny (Balga Talking) Yarning Together, an Artist Activation inspiring connection and mindfulness where you can sit quietly, untangle your thoughts, share stories, and weave feeling into an accumulating installation inspired by grass trees.

This all ages experience is open 10am-2pm, Saturday 26 September – Sunday 11 October (closed Tuesdays) 2020 as part of Pulse Perspectives.

Please note that the end time has been changed to 2pm. We apologise for any inconvenience.

Sharyn Egan will be in the Artist Activation space working on the completion of Balga Waangkiny:
10am-2pm,  Wednesday 30 September
10am-2pm, Thursday 1 October
10am-2pm, Friday 2 October
10am-2pm, Saturday 3 October 

To ensure the safety of participants, we’ve implemented several new protocols in line with public health advice.

• Each participant/family will receive materials when they arrive to minimise the sharing of equipment.
• Equipment will be thoroughly cleaned after each use.
• The Artist Activation is configured to allow for social distancing, and for families to collaborate safely.
• Sanitiser will be provided to all participants on entry.

We are taking all the necessary precautions to ensure our audiences can participate safely in Balga Waangkiny.

As hay is used in this Artist Activation people who suffer from asthma or allergies should participate at their own discretion.

Related Information

10am-4pm, 4-19 July 2020
10am-2pm, 25 & 26 July 2020
10am-2pm, 1, 2, 8, 9, 15 & 16 August 2020
10am-2pm, 26 September – Sunday 11 October 2020

Centenary Galleries
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About the artist

Sharyn Egan is a Nyoongar woman whose arts practice began at the age of 37. The themes of Sharyn’s work are informed by the experiences of her life as a Nyoongar woman. Sharyn works in a variety of mediums including painting, sculpture and woven forms using traditional and contemporary fibres. Her woven works include traditionally styled contemporary forms and baskets, as well as sculptural forms often based on flora and fauna that has totemic significance for the Nyoongar people. She works predominantly in oils, ochres, resins and natural fibres exploring her experience growing up in New Norcia and commenting upon the associated trauma, emotions and a deep sense of loss and displacement experienced by Aboriginal people.

When making sculpture, out of meadow grass and wool it’s very relaxing, the mind goes quiet and time disappears. When people sit down to create together, especially families, it’s like a regrouping, with everyone working towards the same goal. Families arrive and kids are screaming, but within ten minutes of sitting down and working together everyone is calm and people are learning from each other. For children it’s great for them to develop their fine motor skills, while for parents it’s a way to learn from their children and each other. When the parents relax, the koorlungah, the kids can relax too. I guess this is what people call mindfulness, when you’re working on something, but making a new space together. For Aboriginal peoples, these spaces are normal, they are everyday spaces where we yarn, where we learn and where we share.

Sharyn Egan, 2020

Art Access Partner

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On Saturday 27 August, the Gallery is open 10am-3pm only as we prepare for the AGWA Foundation Gala supporting women in the arts. Some exhibition access will be disrupted with two Tracks We Share ground floor galleries closed. AGWA Rooftop bar will be closed, reopening at 2pm Sunday. Details