Adornment, Country and Motherhood
Amber Morris at The Gallery, Saltwater Freshwater | For Gumbaynggirr artist Amber Morris, jewellery is more than something to be worn — it can carry Country, memory, womanhood and story. This September, The Gallery, presented by Saltwater Freshwater Arts Alliance in Coffs Harbour, welcomes Amber’s deeply personal new body of work as part of Stories That Live Here.
What: Stories that Live Here Exhibition
Where: The Gallery, Saltwater Freshwater Arts Alliance, 6 Park Ave, Coffs Harbour
When: 1 Sep – 10 Oct | Launch: Sat 5 Sep, 11am–1pm,
A contemporary jewellery artist raised on Gumbaynggirr Country and now living in Nymboida, Amber creates adornments using foraged and natural materials connected to Country, including natural fibres, echidna quills, animal bones and hand-fossicked crystals.
At the heart of this exhibition is matrescence — the transformation of becoming a mother. The works began while Amber was pregnant with her daughter and moving from maidenhood into motherhood. Creating became a guided practice through that transition, drawing her closer to femininity, Country and the matriarchal connections surrounding her. “My connection to my ancestors, all my mothers here and in the spirit world, has been present in my flow state as I birthed these powerful pieces into physical form.”
Her work explores the dualities of birth, death and rebirth, bringing cultural practice and contemporary jewellery-making together in pieces that feel both intimate and powerful. See Amber’s work in Stories That Live Here, an exhibition celebrating Aboriginal women, Country, family, language and living culture.
What Stories that Live Here Exhibition Where The Gallery, Saltwater Freshwater Arts Alliance, 6 Park Ave, Coffs Harbour When 1 Sep – 10 Oct | Launch: Sat 5 Sep, 11am–1pm, free entry, all welcome
