ARTIST STATEMENT

Sydney John Phillips

As a First Nation, Ballardong, Yamatji, Noongar Australian, my cultural connection to country stretches from one end of Western Australia to the other.

I am an intuitive artist which, for me, means my work evolves from within my cultural connection to boodja (country).

Spirit connects with brush as colours, shapes and visual stories emerge organically.

Inexplicably drawn to painting the pathways and connections I see between rocks, the lay of the land, and ancient river beds, I have been subconsciously re-tracing the journeys of my traditional ancestors with my abstract landscapes.

When I discovered I am a direct descendant of John Septimus Roe, I realised that my passion for boodja, my inquisitive nature, and the unyielding desire to explore, is the influence of both sides of my genetic make-up.

For me, reconciliation starts with the acceptance that we are all connected either by blood or by circumstance. In my documentary Finding Moort (family), I look back along the paths travelled by my ancestors and connect the dots between my Noongar and English heritage. When moort is connected, we can all move forward.