Lismore-based Wiradjuri artist Karla Dickens has partnered with Bunurong, Yuin and Tasmanian man Bruce Pascoe to create Mother’s Little Helper, a film project produced with Blacklock Media.

Artist Statement: 
"As Indigenous Australians we connect with Country and refer to the planet as 'Mother Earth'. Recently a small group of First Nation adults and children from different parts of Australia gathered in Bingara, NSW to create a visual story. Our short film speaks of our concerns and the importance of healing ‘The Mother’ with the help of our youth, who are our future and our only hope.

Known and respected for his great words Uncle Bruce Pascoe will not speak in this film - it is the as viewers responsibly to look hard, learn quick and listen deeply.

What will you see? What action will you take?"

Artist Biography:
Karla Dickens is an award-winning multidisciplinary artist whose work discloses aspects of the nation’s history, while Bruce Pascoe is an author, educator and farmer who in recent years has awakened Australians to the agricultural practices of pre-settlement Aboriginal people. In February 2019 Karla and Bruce embarked on a filming project with Blacklock Media. The filming has taken place in the landscapes surrounding the town of Bingara, which is in Gamilaaraay Country, and a number of Aboriginal students from Bingara Central School are participating in the project.

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Karla Dickens, Mother's Little Helpers 1, 2019, Inkjet print, 67 x 120 cm

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Karla Dickens, Mother's little helpers II, 2019, Inkjet print, 67 × 120 cm

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Karla Dickens, Mother's little helpers III, 2019, Inkjet print, 67 × 120 cm

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Karla Dickens, Mother's little helpers IV, 2019, Inkjet print, 67 × 120 cm

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Karla Dickens, Mother's little helpers V, 2019, Inkjet print, 67 × 120 cm

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Karla Dickens, Mother's little helpers VI, 2019, Inkjet print, 67 × 120 cm

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Karla Dickens, Mother's little helpers VII, 2019, Inkjet print, 67 × 120 cm

All images above are reproduced with permission of the artist. 

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Karla Dickens, Mother’s Little Helper, 2019. Installation view, Three Views, by Mosman Art Gallery at the Amoured Casemates, Georges Head, January 2020 for Sydney Festival. Photos by Tim Connolly

Banner image: Karla Dickens, Mother's Little Helper, 2019, video still. 

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