MAREE CLARKE APPOINTED AS ARTIST FOR MELBOURNE’S STOLEN GENERATION MONUMENT

Officially announced this week, Maree Clarke and mentee Mitch Mahoney have been commissioned to design and deliver the monument for the City of Melbourne’s new Stolen Generations Marker alongside the Birrarung (Yarra River), set to open mid 2O26.

As an artist, curator, cultural facilitator and educator, Maree has played a pivotal role in the reclamation of south-east Australian Aboriginal art and cultural practices, and was selected to commission the Marker by an independent panel of people from the Stolen Generations and their descendants, Traditional Owners, and Stolen Generations support organisation workers.

Maree’s design focusses audience attention on the experience of the children who were forcibly removed under successive Governments’ policy. Situated in a serene and embracing, native landscape, the predominantly figurative artwork will encourage very personal engagement with the individual, emotional and psychological impact on the children and their fight to find and return home to culture and country.

“As an artist, I am compelled to create work that challenges viewers to confront the complexities of the human experience,” Maree said.

“This artwork will be a powerful reminder of the devastating consequences of displacement and the importance of empathy and compassion in our world.

“I hope that this sculpture will inspire viewers to think critically about the ways in which we treat our most vulnerable citizens – children – and to work towards creating a more just and equitable society for all.”

Image credit: Eugene Hyland