About the artist
A man in a black shirt crossing his arms and smiling to the camera; a Barkindji man who has lived most of his life on the lands of the Kulin Nation in Melbourne, Kent Morris graduated from the Victorian College of the Arts and is an alumnus of the National Gallery of Australia’s Wesfarmers Indigenous Leadership Program. Central themes in his art practice are the connections between contemporary Indigenous experience and contemporary cultural practices and their continuation and evolution.
By reconstructing the built environment through a First Peoples lens, Morris reveals the continuing presence and patterns of First Nations history, culture and knowledge in the contemporary Australian landscape, despite ongoing colonial interventions in the physical and political environments.
Morris' art practice explores identity, connection to place and the continuing evolution of cultural practices while engaging audiences to question long-held frames of reference. He hopes the work will inspire the public to open their hearts and minds, look and listen deeply on their journey through the reserve, and embrace the knowledge embedded in Country.
About the work
Where We Walk is created by First Nations artist, Barkindji man Kent Morris. It has been commissioned for Metro Tunnel’s eastern portal tunnel entrance works, as part of the Legacy Artwork Program. Inspired by the significant flaked stone artefacts uncovered at the reserve, this piece speaks to its long connection with Wurundjeri people.
The piece is a cultural marker of respect, connection, and knowledge. It represents First Nations knowledge systems embedded in Country throughout the area and across the entire country. Morris was selected from a shortlist of Victorian First Nations artists, by an advisory panel which included representatives from Creative Victoria, City of Stonnington and Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation.
Image: Where We Walk by Kent Morris
Noble Photography on behalf of the Rail Network Alliance