WOVEN IN THE TAPESTRY OF FAMILY AND CULTURE

Supplied (credit: @pauladopradomartirena)

Local artist Paula do Prado is hosting a creative workshop at The Leo Kelly Blacktown Arts Centre as part of their Summer Workshop program called Bound Together. This workshop is about more than creating an artwork - Paula has designed the workshop for participants to exchange experiences and explore their culture, history, spirituality, and identity. ‘Being bound together is an invitation to reflect on the idea that everything is connected’ says Paula.

Paula is a finalist in the 2019 Blacktown City Art Prize. Her finalist works Guidai/Moon and Sangre/Blood explore the culture of the Charrúa, which are one of the Indigenous groups known to have lived in Uruguay. Guidai/Moon is based on a story her Grandfather shared with her father. Her Grandfather had worked as a farmhand in Artigas, and he would often go and venture off to find a stray lamb. At times he would count on the Guidai/Moon (in Spanish ‘Guidai’ means ‘guide’) to guide him back to the barn. The piece Sangre/Blood explores blood calling, which plays into the idea of an ancestor or spirit leading your life's journey. ‘As I am making, I often reflect on the complex intersections between my family history, the history of colonial genocide, the ongoing oppression present in my land of ‘origin’, and the land where my parents came to seek a better life’ Paula tells The Western.

She enjoys using textile and fibre as her medium, and her process includes reflection, listening, processing and reviewing. She explores her family history and ties it with her experiences, allowing her to become deeply connected with her ancestral spirit of self-healing. 

 Join Paula on Saturday, 18 January from 1.00pm to 3.00pm to deeply connect, learn, and explore with the community. Bookings are essential, click here to secure your spot.