Penny Evans

Penny Evans is a descendant of the K/Gamilaroi people of north & west New South Wales. Spanning over 35 years, Evans’ practice is underpinned by her deep connection to family, community, Country and national histories of colonisation’s aftermath. 

Materialised through ceramic and mixed media collages and installations, Evans explores a lineage of ideas and a mapping of Country and kin through an interrogation of process. To construct her works, the artist collates feathers harvested from roadkill or various native birds, string made from local native fibre or clay, a natural material sourced from the earth that is integral to her practice. 

‘I have always been an artist. I knew it from when I was a child. I love working with clay, it connects me to the ground, to Country. It’s healing. Our Ancestors used to make clay totemic effigies leading up to ceremony, and I love the thought that I could follow in that tradition somehow intuitively.’ - Penny Evans, NGA, 2022. 

With an inextricable link to people and place, Evans’ practice is an ongoing interrogation of truth telling imbued with emotion that forms a strong legacy for her children and family. One that enables a journey back to who we are and back to Country