Memoir

Inspired by the commemorative events held to mark the 100th anniversary of the Gallipoli campaign, "Memoir" commemorates the service of Indigenous soldiers who fought overseas and were never recognised or remembered. ‘I made this crucifix in memory of the forgotten battlegrounds where spirits of warriors remain forever; to remind us of the battles fought at home, and for those who lay in a distant land never to come home.’ [Shirley Macnamara 2015]

A weaver and painter Macnamara lives and works at Mount Guide Station, near Mount Isa, in Queensland. A self-taught artist she draws inspiration from her country in far west Queensland, using found organic materials including spinifex, ochre, bone and emu feathers to make her artworks. She uses art to talk about her culture, history and attachment to country.