A dynamic projection displaying the works of celebrated First Nations artists, the late Bidjigal elder Esme Timbery and two of her children, Marilyn Russell and Steven Russell, and artist Joseca Mokahesi Yanomami of the Yanomami people. Badu Gili: Healing Spirit will appear on the Opera House’s Eastern Bennelong sails five times a night from sunset.

The project marks the second year of a creative partnership between the Sydney Opera House, Biennale of Sydney and the Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain. The powerful projection of First Nations storytelling has been animated by Vandal with a soundscape by James Henry, bringing together Indigenous artists from Bidjigal (Australia) and Yanomami (the Amazon’s largest Indigenous group) for the first time on Australia’s most iconic canvas.

Inspired by shellwork crafted by Esme Timbery and Marilyn Russell, prints and weavings by Steven Russell, and Joseca Mokahesi Yanomami’s drawings of the spirits and landscapes of the remote Yanomami forest, the new six-minute digital animation explores rituals and the bonds of cultural and familial connection forged through art and storytelling.

As a tribute to the life and work of their mother, the chapter created by Marilyn Russell and Steven Russell is set against the backdrop of the ocean and within the universe of Esme’s art. Featuring delicate shellwork and prints representing the enduring passage of artistic practice across generations, the projection explores the deep spiritual connection between a mother, her family and their Country.

Transitioning to the forests and rivers of the Yanomami, Joseca Mokahesi Yanomami’s chapter depicts a shamanic curing ceremony, a ritual performed when community members fall ill. Illuminating the relationship between the metaphysical and natural worlds, good spirits are called upon to ward off bad. Offering a glimpse into Yanomami cosmology, Joseca Mokahesi Yanomami brings the Amazon alive with butterflies, jaguars and the songs of his people.

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