My artwork is about celebrating and respecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and their cultures. It is about embracing each other and about acceptance. It shows a young Aboriginal boy with a dot painting over his heart, highlighting the significance of his culture. It is meant to acknowledge how Indigenous Australians continue to celebrate their culture and encourage and highlight the importance of Australia’s inclusion of Aboriginal people.
Reconciliation means… Indigenous Australians coming together with non-Indigenous Australians as a country and people, with the mutual recognition that we have done something wrong. It is an apology saying sorry we did this to you and sorry this happened. It is a celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and Australia moving forward as one, not forgetting the past but learning from it.