Kukunna Murraweena is a new exhibition by Mandy Quadrio, presented at the Institute of Modern Art.
Quadrio, a Trawlwoolway Tasmanian Aboriginal woman of European heritage, creates a powerful installation of suspended steel wool sculptures. The abrasive material—typically associated with cleaning and erasure—is transformed into soft, yielding forms that evoke bodily presence, shelter, and protection. The exhibition title loosely translates as “holding the weight of silence,” reflecting on histories of suppression and resilience.
The sculptural forms suggest vulval and womb-like shapes, offering a space of maternal comfort and collective memory. Within this forest-like environment, viewers are invited to reflect, gather, and connect with the past, in defiance of colonial attempts to erase Aboriginal identity and culture.
The exhibition also features Quadrio’s first moving-image work, A black pause at the beginning. This immersive piece presents flickering, incandescent filaments that move through cycles of light and darkness, evoking neural pathways or cosmic systems. The soundtrack brings together the voices of the artist and her late sister, creating an intimate dialogue that bridges past and present.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander audiences are advised that the work contains the voice of a deceased person.
This project has been assisted by Creative Australia and supported by the IMA’s Commissioners Circle donors.
