In Life, In Death

(2024)

Access the catalogue of In Life, In Death, along with the accompanying essay ‘How to Separate the Soul: An Essay in Three Parts’ written by Hannah Donnelly: HERE

In Life, In Death responds to the overwhelming collective unrest experienced by Indigenous peoples, who are both witnesses to and targets of settler-colonial destruction locally in Australia and across colonised lands worldwide. This series confronts not only visible acts of violence but also the ongoing structural and social conditions that sustain racism and oppression, revealing the persistent and unyielding nature of settler-colonial harm. The work is rooted in a foundation of Indigenous collective consciousness as a quiet, resolute force that carries memory, resistance, and deep ancestral knowledge across generations.

Through layering self-portraiture and poetry, the series imagines an inner landscape where ancestral spirits guide the living through trauma. It is here, within the stillness of the frame, that ancestral voices whisper through gesture, silence, and shadow. These spirits do not merely watch; they embody intergenerational wisdom and stand as unwavering pillars, offering refuge amid the flames of grief. Their presence provides profound guidance, transforming pain into catharsis and igniting a sacred fire of resilience. Through deep listening and spiritual attunement, the conscious mind opens portals within the psyche, creating spaces where ancestral connections become tangible and healing forces.

The subtle presence of poetry as tears streak down the face creates a performative and intimate visual language. These faint lines invite reflection on exhaustion, grief, and the quiet resilience of spirit. In this intimate choreography, ancestral insight arises not as a metaphor but as a lived connection, called upon during moments of unrest. The final line of the poem, “I scream back,” remains withheld from the images, serving as a private declaration of defiance and self-preservation, an unspoken act of resistance against the violence seeking to silence.

By confronting the ongoing cycles of violence and structural inequality faced by Indigenous peoples, In Life, In Death does not offer an escape but a necessary starting point. It embraces imperfection and vulnerability. The work reclaims the body and spirit from colonial wounds and systemic injustice, embodying the power of imagining new realities grounded in cultural survival, spiritual insight, and ancestral strength.

I scream back