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

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