John South: Skyworld

30 JUNE – 19 AUGUST
Australian Aboriginal cultures are rich with astronomical connections, including sky stories, which are a way of remembering and transmitting important parts of ceremony, law and culture. Skyworld is the spiritual realm beyond the horizon that is part of the Aboriginal cosmology shared across tribes. It is inhabited by Dreamtime ancestors who formed our landscape before transcending into the sky, leaving behind geological reminders, such as rock formations, mountains, plants or animals. Through film and installation John South (Barkindji) explores Aboriginal astronomy and the cultural and spiritual mythologies surrounding  the night sky. South uses the waterlily as a symbol of connection between the Skyworld above and the earth below.

A Blue Mountains City Art Gallery exhibition curated by Rilka Oakley.

IMAGE: JOHN SOUTH Skyworld 2018, video installation