PF2026 Boorloo Contemporary & Exhibitions Guide

Melissa Sandy The Void

Tyrown Waigana Kwop Ben Good Light

It’s so hard when you lose someone you love. The Void series is all about Mum. It’s the void that Mum left in our hearts and in our lives when we lost her. Which is a very large void. You feel like you have to learn to live again. There’s no more phone calls, no more laughter, no more making her cups of tea, you know? Sitting down with her and just hearing her speak. Those beautiful things that we all loved about her. There’s no more of that. All we’ve got is memories. When people walk through my exhibition, they need to know why it came about. It’s because of her. Losing her. Losing Mum. You see your family in so much pain. You go through so much pain, and you try so hard to help everyone else through the pain and you’re just stuck in your own little bubble, and that pain just sits there and sits there. And I’m so happy that I’m an artist because I get to express it through my art. If I didn’t have my art, I don’t know what I would do. I would just go mad. I hope this series will help people like it’s helped me, like I hope it’s going to help my family when they see it. It’s moving forward, it’s letting go. You’re still missing that person, but you learn to move on. So, my paintings start

off quite dark, and then they gradually go lighter because the pain starts to subside. Life goes on, but any little thing can bring a memory back you know? There’s no forgetting anybody that you lose. That is the outcome that I want in this exhibition, that is what is important. To help my family, my community, everybody – anybody who has lost someone they love. I want them to not only experience my journey, I want them to experience their own journey. They could have lost someone years ago, months ago, it doesn’t matter. But I want them to be able to walk through my exhibition and actually let go of some pain. I want to be able to help people through grief. Melissa Sandy Written 2025 for The Void , Melissa Sandy’s first solo exhibition, created in tribute to her late Aunt (who in Yindjibarndi culture is considered her mother), respected artist and Elder Mrs. A. Sandy

Kwop Ben, meaning ‘Good Light’, is an animated light work that takes over Boorloo Bridge, transforming one of Perth’s newest and most recognisable crossings into a living digital canvas. The work explores place, protest and connection, celebrating the river as a powerful thread linking past, present and future. Guided by the knowledge of Noongar cultural leaders Richard Walley and Herbie Bropho, Kwop Ben draws on stories held within the river and the lands it moves through. Known as Matagarup, the bridge site carries deep cultural significance as a place of ceremony and gathering, as well as a history marked by activism and resistance. It is also one of the few places where yonga (kangaroos) continue to live on Country within the heart of the city, a reminder of the ongoing relationship between people, place and the natural world. As night falls, the bridge’s lighting system is reimagined as an animated artwork, activated through digital design and animation by Wandandi Noongar artist Tyrown Waigana.

Colour, movement and imagery ripple across the structure, bringing the bridge to life in rhythm with the river below. Pelicans, turtles, dolphins and other river life emerge alongside symbolic forms and transformations, creating a flowing visual language that speaks to memory, resilience and renewal. The work moves through moments of loss and survival, hope and healing. The Wagyl, the sacred serpent of Noongar stories, winds through light and water, connecting the spiritual, cultural and natural worlds. Rainbows, water spirits and acts of quiet resistance appear and dissolve, honouring those who have come before and the strength that endures through generations. By honouring the ‘good light’ and carrying the stories of Matagarup onto Boorloo Bridge, Kwop Ben honours the Country we live on and shares these stories with all who move through the city.

A Boorloo Contemporary commission for Perth Festival supported by

A Boorloo Contemporary commission for Perth Festival supported by Wesfarmers Arts Presented with Yinjaa-Barni Art and PS Art Space

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