Helen McCarthy Tyalmuty
Lost Landmarks - HMCG0333
| Framed: YES |
| Size: H-114 X W-174 cm. |
| Medium: Acrylic on Linen |
| Price: $24,995.00 AUD (*Taxes Included) |
| Product No: HMCG0333 |
Finalist - 2025 Mosman Art Prize
Artist Statement:
Lost Landmarks speaks to the quiet grief of losing specific knowledge held by our elders. When my grandfather and family travelled across the mainland from the Top End coast, they followed the signs in the land - natural landmarks that guided them on their journeys. Even during World War II, they escaped to Pine Creek using these paths.
Today, some of our old people have developed dementia. We take them back out bush, hoping they’ll remember the places and stories they once showed us. But often, they don’t. The landmarks are still there, but their meaning has been forgotten - and that is a great sadness.
This painting is like a memory map. The lines and colours trace paths, stories, and signs - some remembered, some lost. It’s a reflection on how important it is for knowledge to be passed on while it can be. The old people have to teach us when we’re young, so we can carry those stories forward to the next generation.