Returning to the Source – A River Poem

I’ve recently completed an art residency with Sauerbier House in Port Noarlunga. The work I produced is a concertina book of painted poems made in collaboration with the Onkaparinga River. It is on exhibition at Sauerbier House until May 3rd, 2024.

I have made a video of the portrait poem and my time at Sauerbier House. You can view it by clicking on the video link above.

Below is my artist statement for the body of work.

Artist Statement

Mountains and Rivers have the status of great Beings in Asian cultures. Many First Nation peoples consider the environment as an interdependent sentient being that we are part of. In recent times we have begun to understand the concept of the environmental personhood of a river, giving them the same legal status as humans in some places. The Ganges and Yamuna Rivers in India, the Mutuhekau Shipu in Canada, or the Whanganui River in New Zealand to name a few, have been granted such status. 

I was inspired by the late Zen Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh, when he said that a river is a Bodhisatva, a great Being that generously shares themself with all. I also drew inspiration from the Japanese artists Hiroshige and Hokusai. They both did a pilgrimage around Mount Fuji; both producing their own series of 36 woodblock prints titled Thirty Six Views of Mount Fuji.

As I meditated on the Mountains and Rivers sutra by 12th century Zen monk Dogen, it dawned on me that the Onkaparinga River comes out of my tap. What an amazing thought that we have rivers in our homes! Over time, we become this river as most of our body is made up of water. Kuarna people call her Ngankipari or Ngangkiparringga. The river is a place of women’s business and is culturally significant for them. This great Being, the Onkaparinga River, sustains us all.

I have walked along the banks and sat with the river. Through a process of embodied collaboration, a concertina portrait/ poem has evolved. Sitting by the Onkaparinga, I felt as still as a mountain. I was also like a tributary, returning to the source. In this body, with breath, flowing blood and bones, I felt welcomed home. As a migrant, belonging and a sense of home is a life’s journey.

Throughout making this concertina poem, I have wondered, ‘who am I painting?. How much of this is a River portrait and how much is it s self portrait?’ Using poetry, I wanted to give expression to the essence of these questions with an economy of brush and words. This work is an invitation for you as a viewer to dream and play. What is evoked in you completes the work.