By Biennale of Sydney
23rd Biennale of Sydney: rīvus
Ngalawan–We Live, We Remain: The Call of Ngura (Country) (2022) by Leanne TobinBiennale of Sydney
About the participant
Leanne Tobin
Dharug
Born 1961 in Newcastle, Australia
Lives in Sydney, Australia Dharug
Leanne Tobin is a multidisciplinary artist of Irish, English and Aboriginal heritage descending from the Buruberong and Wumali clans of the Dharug, the traditional Aboriginal people of the Greater Sydney region.
'Today us Dharug move like eels between two worlds. We have morphed and adapted to new ways imposed on us. First to be colonised and first to lose colour, over time we've learned to adapt and become the 'river'. Like the eels, we have never left.
—Leanne Tobin
River Conversations – Leanne Tobin (2022) by Motel Picture CompanyBiennale of Sydney
River Conversations with Leanne Tobin
River Conversations was a two-day symposium situated on the Parramatta River and The Cutaway at Barangaroo. Led by First Nations voices, interdisciplinary caretakers shared their river conversations through workshops, talks, storytelling, and deep listening.
Ngalawan–We Live, We Remain: The Call of Ngura (Country) (2022) by Leanne TobinBiennale of Sydney
Ngalawan – We Live, We Remain: The Call of Ngura (Country)
For rīvus, Tobin shares a Dharug creation story of an Ancestral Creator, in the form of an eel/serpent that long ago created the rivers and mountains. Tobin’s work is connected across two locations to invite audiences to physically follow and imagine the lifecycle of the eel.
Ngalawan–We Live, We Remain: The Call of Ngura (Country) (2022) by Leanne TobinBiennale of Sydney
The material and reflections of hand-blown glass eels for The Call of Ngura remind us of the ongoing fight the Dharug have endured since colonisation and the adaptive qualities of the eel.
Ngalawan–We Live, We Remain: The Call of Ngura (Country) (2022) by Leanne TobinBiennale of Sydney
The strange and phenomenal eels climb dams, creep across land and transform in preparation for their journey northwards to their spawning grounds in the Coral Sea.
On their return to freshwater, the young transparent glass eels take on the colours of the river as they move between freshwater and saltwater.
The Cutaway at Barangaroo (2022) by Document PhotographyBiennale of Sydney
This metamorphosis alludes to historical and contemporary experiences of Dharug people who faced horrific frontier conflict and disruption but have adapted and remained, ensuring their survival.
Tap to explore
Navigate through The Cutaway and explore Leanne Tobin's Ngalawan – We Live, We Remain: The Call of Ngura (Country), 2022.
Being With: Eels – Leanne Tobin (2022) by Leanne TobinBiennale of Sydney
Podcast | Being With: Eels
Listen to Leanne Tobin in conversation with Lleah Smith, Curator, Programs and Learning, in the 23rd Biennale of Sydney podcast, Being With. Being With discusses ancestral and futuristic knowledge systems and cultural practices as tools for understanding.
Ngalawan–We Live, We Remain: The Call of Ngura (Country) (2022) by Leanne TobinBiennale of Sydney
Ngalawan – We Live, We Remain: The Running of the Eels, 2022
Tobin’s work is connected across two rīvus locations, Arts + Cultural Exchange (ACE), Parramatta and The Cutaway at Barangaroo, and invites audiences to physically follow and imagine the lifecycle of the eel.
