JD PENANGKE

from 2023 Revealed Exhibition Catalogue: New & Emerging WA Aboriginal Artists

VALERIE WOODS

BORN Middle Swan

LIVES & WORKS Perth

LANGUAGE GROUP Whadjuk, Ballardong, Arrernte

JD Penangke is a Whadjuk, Ballardong, Arrernte Yorga (woman) from Boorloo | Perth. JD are her initials and Penangke is the skin name she inherits from her Dad’s side in Alice Springs. JD has been a practicing mural artist since 2016 and uses her art as an opportunity to amplify the original story of boodjar (land) in the public realm. She uses vibrant and loud colours to engage with the public and works in water based exterior paints.

This artwork honours Yorga (women) and the importance of their voices in our community locally and nationally. We are guided by Yorga Birdiya (women bosses) who have paved their paths and have continued standing strong for justice and equality through generations.

JD’s mural speaks to the importance of meaningful representation, and to First Peoples having agency over their own lives.

In 2023, Australia will decide on whether or not to enshrine an Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament into the Australian Constitution.

Fremantle Arts Centre and the City of Fremantle endorse the Voice to Parliament and the Uluru Statement, and believe that this important change is a significant step towards self-determination for Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Peoples.