Lisa Hilli's PhD exhibition presents a deeply personal exploration of interracial Papua New Guinean women's contributions to film and photography, focusing on two pioneering figures: Meg Taylor and Maggie Wilson. Both women, born to Papua New Guinean mothers and Australian fathers in the Highlands region—the birthplace of indigenous filmmaking in Papua New Guinea—were among the first to 'brukim bus' (cut the path) in visual storytelling.
Revealed through indigenous and contemporary textiles, the exhibition interweaves public and personal archives with Hilli's contemporary lens-based practice, creating a dialogue between past and present. Like a Single Lens Reflex camera, Hilli's own interracial genealogy mirrors that of Taylor and Wilson, though her experience is uniquely situated on the unceded sovereign lands of First Nations people of Australia.
The creative works presented here challenge the traditional positioning of Papua New Guinean visual histories within anthropological frameworks rather than art historical contexts. Through this biographical review, Hilli not only pays homage to these trailblazing women but also creates new pathways for understanding interracial Papua New Guinean identity in contemporary visual arts practice.
The exhibition addresses the complex and often overlooked intersections of gender, race, and visual authorship in Papua New Guinea's post-independence era. By bringing these histories into focus, Hilli's work asserts the importance of recovering and celebrating these vital but under told stories within contemporary art discourse. Through Hilli’s practice, she demonstrates how the camera lens continues to be a powerful tool for Papua New Guinean women's visual representation, storytelling and lived experiences, carrying forward the legacy of those who first 'brukim bus' in visual arts.
Exhibition Dates
21 November–6 December 2024
Opening Hours
Weekdays 9 am–5 pm
About the Artist
Lisa Hilli is an accomplished contemporary artist. Her creative research practice explores the politics of gender and race, the language of textiles, and Indigenous and colonial histories. Her works are held in the Art Gallery NSW and Australian War Memorial collections. She has been commissioned by the House of World Cultures Berlin, Ian Potter Museum of Art University of Melbourne, and Institute of Modern Art Brisbane. Lisa is a former International Fellow for the German Maritime Museum and member of the Oceania Working Party for the Australian Dictionary of Biography. She holds a Master of Fine Art by Research and Bachelor of Fine Arts from RMIT University in Naarm-Melbourne where she lives and works. Lisa is a current PhD candidate in Gender, Media and Cultural Studies, School of Culture History and Language, ANU College of Asia and the Pacific.
Public Programs
- Thursday 21 November 2024: Exhibition opening, 5-7 pm
- Friday 6 December 2024: Exhibition closing, 4-6 pm