Wearing Country: Welcome to the natural world of Delvene Cockatoo-Collins
The work of First Nations artist and designer Delvene Cockatoo-Collins is celebrated in an exhibition at Cleveland.
The dynamic diversity of Quandamooka artist and designer Delvene Cockatoo-Collins’s creative practice is being celebrated in an exciting new survey exhibition at Redland Art Gallery, Cleveland.
The exhibition, Create Exchange: Wearing Country, which continues until November 18, highlights Cockatoo-Collins’s commitment to transforming stories and traditions from her mother, Evelyn Parkin, and grandmother, Bethel Delaney, into unique garments that reveal the natural beauty of her home, Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island).
Redland City Council Mayor Jos Mitchell says the exhibition reflects Redlands Coast’s deep connection to its Aboriginal heritage and the vibrant creativity of local artists.
“Redland City Council is proud to host Create Exchange: Wearing Country at Redland Art Gallery,” says Mitchell. “This exhibition not only honours Delvene’s remarkable artistry but also celebrates the living culture of the Quandamooka people.
“Through her work, Delvene brings Country into our gallery spaces, inviting us all to experience Minjerribah’s stories, landscapes and traditions in new and meaningful ways.”
Featuring garments, jewellery, printmaking and design commissions, the exhibition demonstrates Cockatoo-Collins’s ability to connect culture, sustainability and contemporary fashion.
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Describing the beach at Goompi/Dunwich as a natural art store, Cockatoo-Collins gathers ochre, clay and seeds along the shoreline.
Some of the shells she uses are collected and cleaned after being shared in family meals, and a nearby cotton tree is harvested and used for weaving. These natural resources are then woven into her garments and jewellery. Through printmaking, she captures the reflections of light on the mangroves and the sunsets shimmering on the water.
The diverse mediums and techniques employed by Cockatoo-Collins culminate into stunning wearable art garments, hence the exhibition title, Wearing Country.
‘Sustainability is not a buzzword, but her way of life, living on and off the land’
Indigenous art curator and consultant Shonae Hobson said Cockatoo-Collins’s works outside the frameworks of mainstream fast fashion.
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“Her practice is not centred on seasons or mass production but in relation to the natural environment and her surroundings,” says Hobson. “Sustainability is not a buzzword, but her way of life, living on and off the land. Through her continued commitment to sharing the stories of her ancestors through her art and fashion, she re-centres fashion not as a commodity but as a living practice – one that challenges conventional production systems.”
Visitors to Redland Art Gallery can explore a collection of garments that have been showcased on runways in Brisbane, Melbourne, Cairns and Darwin, while also learning more about the artist’s creative process.
The Mezz at Redland Performing Arts Centre will present, Create Exchange: Wearing Country, until November 9, featuring Cockatoo-Collins’s high-profile design commissions, including the Brisbane Broncos Indigenous jerseys, and theatre costumes.
‘Every item in my store is handmade or locally made and full of story of family, land and cultural practices’
Delvene Copckatoo-Collins has a shop at Dunwich on Minjerribah/North Stradbroke Island that is open by appointment and she has recently opened a new store in the Brisbane CBD. The shop, located at 1/61 Edward Street, marks a significant step for the artist who has operated her business on Minjerribah for a decade.
She told National Indigenous Times that her new city store is “a space dedicated to my art, fashion, handprinted homewares and locally made gifts”.
“Every item in my store is handmade or locally made and full of story of family, land and cultural practices,” she says. “I hope visitors leave inspired and connected.”
The city shop features a soundtrack by her talented son, the poet and performer Sachém, incorporating shell, whale and mermaid sounds to reflect the island’s stories.
Create Exchange: Wearing Country runs until November 18 at Redland Art Gallery, Cleveland; and exhibition continuation at The Mezz (Concert Hall foyer) until November 9.
Delvene Cockatoo-Collins Art is at Shop 1/61 Edward St, Brisbane City.