Archie Moore (b 1970) kamilaroi, bigumbul/ Australia
In this quietly powerful pavilion, Archie Moore worked for months to hand-draw with chalk a monumental First Nations family tree. Thus 65,000 years of history (both recorded and lost) are inscribed on the dark walls as well as on the ceiling, asking viewers to fill in blanks and take in the inherent fragility of this mournful archive. Floating in a moat of water are redacted official State records, reflecting Moore’s intense research as well as the high rates of incarceration of First Nations’ people. This installation stands out for its strong aesthetic, its lyricism, and its invocation of shared loss for occluded pasts. With his inventory of thousands of names, Moore also offers a glimmer of possibility for recuperation. 2024 Venice Biennale Arte: Jury's Statement theplan.it
the phrase ‘kith and kin’ now simply means ‘friends and family’. however, an earlier old english definition that dates from the 1300s shows kith originally had the added meanings of ‘countrymen’ and also ‘one’s native land’, with kin meaning ‘family members’. many indigenous australians, especially those who grew up on country, know the land and other living things as part of their kinship systems — the land itself can be a mentor, teacher, parent to a child. the sense of belonging involves everyone and everything, and for first nations peoples of australia, like most indigenous cultures, is deeply rooted in our sacred landscapes from birth until death. i was interested in the phrase as it aptly describes the artwork in the pavilion, but i was also interested in the old english meaning of the words, as it feels more like a first nations understanding of attachment to place, people and time.’ archie moore kithandkin.me
www.kithandkin.me/further-reading