Maya Hodge ~ marlda&bulja
*artist statement
This series, marlda&bulja, means hand and heart in my language. Our hands tell stories; hands hold us, birth us, create and nurture us. Time is not linear, it is circular and moving which my people have always known. When I think of time I think of my family and how my heart is always with them. These collage works are an ode to the strength of my mother and brother who raised me and our shared journey home to our Country and to ourselves as we continue to heal together. Our future lies within each other as our Ances-tors watch over us as we tell our peoples truths, our pain, joy and pride in who we are and who has come before us.
*artist's bio
Maya Hodge is a proud Lardil and Yangkaal woman raised in Mildura, Victoria currently based on the lands of the Kulin Nation (Melbourne). Focusing on how artistic processes act as a way of heal-ing, Maya’s multidisciplinary practise explores the power of disrupting colonial narratives through curatorial and project-based work to uplift First Nations autonomy and storytelling. Maya is a mem-ber of this mob collective and a founding member of Ensemble Dutala, Australia’s first Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander chamber ensemble. She has worked on projects with Short Black Opera, Footscray Community Arts Centre, Arts Centre Melbourne, West Space, KINGS Artist-Run, Signal, Culture Is Life, Arts House and YIRRAMBOI Festival.
