Laurel Nannup: What Road Are You Going To Take? brings together major printmaking works from celebrated artist Laurel Nannup.
"I feel I need to leave some stories behind.”
'Laurel Nannup: What Road Are You Going To Take?' is an exhibition sharing printmaker Laurel Nannup's intimate stories of her experiences as a child and teenager. Laurel is a member of the Stolen Generation, taken at 8 years of age to the Wandering Mission where she lived until she was 16.
The title of the exhibition, is borrowed from Laurel's 2001 artwork. A turning point in Laurel’s art career, the print depicts a dream where an old Nyoongar man meets her at the crossroads and asks, ‘What road are you going to take?’. Both looking at each other, Laurel awakens from the dream in a fright to realise that that the old Nyoongar man was her old grandfather telling her to "continue with what you started". Laurel went on to earn first class Honours in Fine Arts at Curtin University.
The exhibition design is rich with stories and detail from Laurel’s works and life, including her beautiful handwriting which inspired the typography for the exhibition identity.
The exhibition is spread across three free-standing structures, including a semi-enclosed space where education sessions and talks are held. Inside the main space is a more subtle design, featuring emu and kangaroo tracks forming the shape of an ‘8’, or infinity symbol. ‘8’ holds significant meaning, as it is the number of times Laurel was removed from her family and sent to the Mission. The infinity symbol symbolises the ongoing impact of this removal, throughout Laurel’s life and the intergenerational trauma experienced by descendants of the Stolen Generations.
Creative Director: Kevin Wilson
Design Director: Leigh Wood
Curator and consultation: Brett Nannup