Myths and Legends: a didactic

Across western ‘thinking’ the Aboriginal experience of transdimensionalism is positioned as ‘fantasy’ and defined as science fiction. 

Switching between modes of lecture and storytelling, ‘Myths & Legends: a didactic’ seeks to reposition this fallacy with Groom presenting an ‘expandafile’ on the research behind her work for Melbourne Art Fair; fifty interventions into popular fantasy illustrator Steve Hickman’s posters now overlayed with ethereal statements in red text that position aspects of western operations that upon deeper reflection are only ‘real because we believe in them’. 

This performance invites the audience to question the power and authority that we as a populace acquiesce to in a civic space; when we are ‘willing subjects’ – not because we choose or decide to but because we are not ‘not willing’.

Project developed by Amala Groom, a Wiradyuri conceptual artist based in Kelso, NSW, integrates First Nations epistemologies and methodologies into her work, which aims to challenge colonialism and affirm the unity of the human experience across various identities. Her practice combines traditional cultural approaches with formal research, guided by the philosophies of Yindyamarra, Kanyini, and Dadirri, which balance the physical and spiritual realms.

The concept of Myths and Legends was developed in collaboration with Madeleine Collie

Myths and Legends: a didactic performance was presented at Melbourne Art Fair and the Kelvin Club in Melbourne’s CBD, with Dramaturgical Provocations and Directorial Guidance from Madeleine Collie