Lionel Fogarty since the early 2000s has been creating ‘poem paintings’, where viewers are immersed in the language written by his own hand, rather than by the mechanical typeset of publishing.
This exhibition Moiyum wungumbil mugerra bullonga features new paintings that connect to Lionel Fogarty’s longstanding commitment to the liberation of voice, fighting back against colonialism and strengthening languages that have been pressured by settler linguistics.
This exhibition title translates to ‘waterlily whistle thunder yours’ in Yugambeh language, with the paintings displayed suggesting new and generative ways of reading poetry across cultural spaces. Moiyum wungumbil mugerra bullonga in this way aims to both bridge and disrupt speech, writing and the visual image.