Bunbury Senior High student Kaysanna Elap isn’t the artiest student at the school, but her portrayal of her indigenous culture on canvas has earned her the ASG Indigenous Art Award.
Ahead of the art project 14-year-old Kaysanna said it was her goal to accurately and stylistically represent her culture with paint.
“It was inspired by the turtle which is the dream animal of the Kimberly,” she said.
The work titled Peace and Freedom by Kaysanna’s art teacher draws from the history of her Mother and Father.
“The dots and water represent the inland river from my mum’s side, and the turtle is a dreaming animal which represents the saltwater culture from my dad’s side,” she said.
Kaysanna was presented with her award on November 26, at an award ceremony held in Melbourne.
It is one of five award categories sponsored by ASG as part of the Young Australian Art and Writers’ Awards, which attracted more than 33,000 entries.
Kaysanna said she was shocked to learn she had won and in true artistic form shunned the spotlight and recognition bestowed upon her by her art teacher.
“My art teacher announced to me I had won, he was very excited but I was shocked because I had only wanted to do this for fun and as a method of exploring my heritage,” she said.
“I’ve been on a slow journey to learn about my culture because it makes me feel less insecure when I know where I come from,” she said.
Blayde Grzelka
Journalist for the Bunbury Mail, Australian Community Media, and Fairfax Media.
Journalist for the Bunbury Mail, Australian Community Media, and Fairfax Media.
