This stereotype is swiftly dispelled when the multidisciplinary artist pulls out possum skin to revive traditional cloak-making practices.
It is further challenged when she discusses her commission to carve and sculpt a marker for the Stolen Generations in the City of Melbourne.
And when she showcases a 3m marine glass canoe suspended in the air at one of her recent solo exhibitions, minds are well and truly boggled.
All of this was shared with the 70 attendees of Ms Clarke’s artist talk on Wednesday, March 5, hosted by Kaiela Arts in partnership with the Shepparton Art Museum.
The proud Yorta Yorta, Wamba Wamba, Mutti Mutti and Boonwurrung woman captivated the masses with her insights and stories.
However, it was her unwavering dedication to revitalising cultural knowledge — once lost as a consequence of colonisation — that left all in awe.
“I love nothing more than to share culture, practice and knowledge, not only with my own mob but with the wider community, so that it will make it so much easier for the journey ahead, especially for our young ones,” she said.
The event marked the beginning of an exciting partnership aimed at boosting local artistic talent through the newly unveiled project, Kaiela Arts Editions.
Set to launch in September, this initiative will see Ms Clarke create a limited-edition artwork, with profits dedicated to supporting Kaiela Arts — one of only two Aboriginal art centres in Victoria.
“It is a special honour to have Maree here,” Kaiela Arts vice-president Belinda Briggs said.
“Maree’s contribution through her life’s practice to the reclamation and revival of cultural practices and knowledge through education and the arts has been instrumental in making the identities of those peoples in south-east Australia visible.”
One way she does this is by working as a researcher at the Australian National University.
Currently, south-east Australian Aboriginal cultural items housed in various museum collections are labelled simply as ‘Australia’ and remain dormant without proper analysis for identification.
Ms Clarke can identify these items.
“One day, in the near future, I hope to get funding from somewhere to take elders and young people to visit these objects and items, give them a story, a community and a narrative,” she said.
Education is important, and Ms Clarke can be described as a teacher to younger generations about their heritage.
Renowned for her open approach to artistic practices, she frequently collaborates with others to tell First Nations stories and create works seamlessly blending traditional and contemporary styles.
From 3D photographs of the tent her family lived in behind a mission before 1967 to kangaroo-teeth necklaces featured in the pages of Vogue, Ms Clarke presents history on her own terms in a country that has often overshadowed her culture’s narrative.
“I take my family on the journey with me and anybody else who’s around or wants to learn, especially those young ones trying to find their place in the big art world out there — that’s pretty tough and can be brutal,” she said.
“But whatever you think and dream can be made.”
Stay tuned to the Kaiela Arts website and social media to see what Ms Clarke has created for the first Kaiela Arts Editions.
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