About the artwork

‘In my practice I explore themes of identity, representation, and the female gaze. For this goddess-themed project, I created a personal interpretation of an iconic moment from the film Jedda (1955), which starred the late great Aunty Rosalie Kunoth Monks.

Exploring critical moments from the film and interpreting them through self-portraiture, I chose a significant scene where Jedda is on Country, surrounded by the sounds of clap sticks, dancing, and songs in language, experiences denied to Jedda. The scene is a moment of awakening, where Jedda is experiencing life as an emotional being.’

About the artist

Jody Haines (tommeginne / palawa) is a contemporary artist based in Naarm. She blends social practice, photo-media and public art, to create large scale public activations that include projections, paste-ups, and street-wide photographic installations.

This artwork was commissioned by Metro Tunnel Creative Program to celebrate ACMI’s Melbourne Winter Masterpieces exhibition, Goddess: Power, Glamour, Rebellion, 5 April to 1 October 2023.