What Lies Buried Rises

Linden Centre for Contemporary Arts presents What Lies Buried Rises, the annual contemporary Indigenous exhibition in the gallery's program. The artists in this exhibition have selected by curator, Dianne Jones, to respond to the historic murder of white woman, Sarah Cook, and her child. The murder took place in the small town of York in Western Australia in 1839. Two local Aboriginal men, Doodjeep and Barrabong were accused of the murder and hung and gibbetted for their crime. Sarah was a known friend of the Nyoongar people and no motive for the murders was ever recorded. This murder and the events that followed, gave rise to the worst massacres in West Australian history.

Dianne's research of the incident has unearthed more questions than answers: Whose crimes are subject to investigation? Whose grief constructs memorials? Whose deaths matter? Dianne has produced a series of photographs that respond to these questions and investigate her connection to York, emotionally unearthing the past and the legacy of the violent history of the land of her ancestors. She has invited her mother, Della, a Balladong Noongar artist, living in the York area to carve emu eggs and produce a series of paintings. Media artist and filmmaker, Genevieve Grieves presents a film made in response to her visit to the site of Sarah Cook's ruined cottage. Dianne Jones says of the exhibition and the Nyoongar people, ‘I want now to talk about the issues that have been important to my ancestors on this land.'