4th July - 1st August 2024 Parliment House, NSW, Gadigal Country, Eora Nation
“I am Kate Constantine, a concrete Koori, from the big, bustling urban metropolis, known today as the City of Sydney. I am a proud Gadigal woman, mother, and contemporary artist of the Eora Nation.
These are my stories of Ngura, of Country.
I invite you to enjoy them.” I am a proud Gadigal woman, mother, and contemporary artist of the Eora Nation.
These are my stories of Ngura, of Country.
I invite you to enjoy them.”
Cooee Art Leven (formerly Coo-ee Art) was established in 1981 and is Australia’s oldest exhibiting First Nations fine art gallery. Our flagship gallery and auction space in Redfern, Sydney, offers a unique and informative insight into the world of First Nations art.
As well as sourcing historically significant pieces, Gallery Director Mirri Leven, along with her experienced team, consign contemporary artworks from communities across the continent for their diverse range of projects using a hybrid art model to represent and support artists in an ethical and sustainable way. We work with artists, galleries, museums and private collections bi-annually to curate and consign the finest First Nations Art - with more than 3000 works of art by over 150 individual artists our extensive stockroom encompasses a wide range of regional and individual styles.
With an impressive international profile, developed over 40 years’ experience, Cooee Art Leven is now one of the most highly respected First Nations galleries in Australia and abroad. Its clients include private collectors, institutions, architects, interior designers, and international visitors.
“Kate’s love and passion for her Culture and her art practice is something that I am personally so very proud of.” - Uncle Ray Davison (Gadigal Elder)
“Every library or any person with any sort of connection to Sydney needs to have this book” -Professor Jakelin Troy Director, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Research The University of Sydney
17 Thurlow Street Redfern NSW 2016
+61 (02) 9300 9233
1. Konstantina, Gadigal Weave, 2024, oil paint on Beligian linen, 101 x 101 cm
2. Konstantina, Mula Magalyinyara #1, 2023, acrylic on Beligian linen, 121 x 91 cm
3. Konstantina, Gadigal Weave II (black), 2023, oil paint on Beligian linen, 100 x 100 cm
4. Konstantina, 95714, 2023, acrylic on Beligian linen, 200 x 140 cm
5. Konstantina, Gadigal Weave, 2024, oil paint on Beligian linen, 101 x 101 cm
6. Konstantina, Mula Magalyinyara #2, 2023, acrylic on Beligian linen, 121 x 91 cm
7. Konstantina, Gadigal Weave II (white), 2023, oil paint on Beligian linen, 100 x 100 cm
This painting invites all 95,714 mobs (families) in NSW that currently identify as Aboriginal into NSW parliament for the very first time in history.
Artist Statement
Yagu, Gadigal dulumi, Gadi yuwing ngubadi
Translation: today, the Gadigal give you for no expected return, Gadi truth and love.
As a descendant of the Gadigal, I am passionate about my language, Culture and histories, much of which have been lost, misplaced or manipulated since the dawn of Colonisation. As such, my practise is heavily interconnected with my mob and their oral histories and married with my academic research. My artwork is heavily rooted in both and my artworks are a physical manifestation of these stories and histories, a document in time to reconnect me to my people, and my people - the Gadigal to our rightful Country.
The Gadigal are, and have always been, a good graced mob.
The evidence of this is clear in the way we share our Culture with others, in the way we have welcomed our neighbouring Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal brothers and sisters to our land and resources. We occupy the Country of first Colonial occupation, our numbers have dwindled due to this occupation, introduced illness, scarcity of resource, and outright persecution. We have, and continue to exist.
There is an oft beguiled rhetoric that the Gadigal are no longer; that our stories and Culture occupy only the assuages of history. This is untrue and incorrect.
The Gadigal occupy these walls today with our stories, we are honoured and grateful to have the opportunity to welcome you and invite you to share in our Culture.
Artist Biography
Konstantina (Kate Constantine) is a proud Gadigal woman of the Eora nation and a neo-contemporary Indigenous artist. She is re-imagining the traditions of her peoples’ dot painters and providing a modern narrative for all people to better understand a First Nations perspective as part of the fabric of Australia.
As a descendant of the Gadigal, she is passionate about her language, Culture and histories, much of which have been lost, misplaced or manipulated since the dawn of Colonization. As such, her practice is heavily interconnected with her Mob and their oral histories and married with her esteemed academic research.
Her artworks are a physical manifestation of these stories and histories, a document in time to reconnect her people to their Country.
Konstantina is a highly sought after contemporary artist who is represented by galleries in Paris, London, Sydney, Melbourne and Margaret River, where her solo shows have sold out consistently for almost a decade. Her works have been awarded finalist places in over twenty Art Prizes and Awards, and been profiled at international art shows, on TV, used by celebrities and for high profile restaurant and corporate works. Her public artworks are the most recent addition to her practice and have seen her take over shopping centres, parklands and office buildings with her trademark contemporary edge.
Artist Talk & Workshop
To celebrate NAIDOC week, Konstantina will be conducting an Artist talk and workshop
