The University of Sydney is a global top 20 university, leading the way in addressing environmental, social, and governance challenges. The University of Sydney is also the custodian of a great number of historical and cultural artefacts and stories as the home of the Chau Chak Wing Museum. This project supports Konstantina (Kate Constantine), an Aboriginal artist whose work centres on reclaiming and preserving Gadigal Cultures with the support of her mob and Elders.
The Balnaves Foundation is partnering with the University of Sydney to support Gadigal artist Konstantina in a revolutionary First Nations art project, entitled Gadigal: Yilabara Waḻa (Gadigal: Now and Then) exploring the British Museum archives to encounter Gadigal objects in storage and reclaim art- and object-making practices for First Nations people in Sydney and beyond.
Kate Constantine is a descendant of the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation whose practice is rooted in connection to her mob’s oral histories and her own academic research. She is passionate about language, culture and histories, much of which have been lost, misplaced or manipulated since colonisation in Sydney.
Kate has secured unprecedented access to the Gadigal objects in the British Museum archives. From July 2024 until late 2025, Kate will travel between the UK, Sydney and Canberra to visit the British Museum, the Sydney Nolan Trust, NSW State Library, National Library and Archive, and other research institutions to realise this project which will culminate in exhibitions in Wales and London with a potential exhibition in Sydney. She will be supported by Gadigal Elder Uncle Charles Davison who will offer guidance on Cultural practice and protocol.
Objects and treasures held by the British Museum since colonisation, some of which have never been seen by a living Gadigal person, will be explored and documented for the purpose of reclaiming Cultural practice and returning this knowledge to Gadigal lands. In addition to the understanding of traditional and Cultural practice, Kate will study the objects with Uncle Charles Davison to recreate the making process so that this can be shared with the Gadigal people. A key part of the project will be a photographic diary of the exploration, cataloguing of the objects and the craftmanship in creating these treasures. This will culminate in the publication of a new book and exhibitions showcasing the process undertaken and artworks created utilising these relearned practices..
This unique project will bring to life the stories, artworks and traditional adornment practices of the Gadigal people, returning this knowledge to Country for future generations.