The River Remembers Series 2026 #2

“Vines spill over the edges and take form of my ceramic tree vessels, drawing attention to the root systems that sustain life along our waterways and bush lands on Yorta Yorta Woka. Many don’t know that beneath the surface, roots provide shelter and breeding habitat for our fish, stabilise riverbanks and help maintain water quality.”
Tarli-Dean Atkinson is a proud Yorta Yorta, Moiraban artist. We’re proud to announce her new ceramic series The River Remembers, which will be exhibited at this year’s Koorie Art show. Her series reflects on the damage caused when settlers removed roots and woody structures from the rivers and damaged our bushlands with their cattle and farms across Yorta Yorta Woka, believing they were improving them. Such interventions disregarded the living relationships within these waterways and Woka and the knowledge of the people who have cared for them for generations.
“Earlier this year I did a site visit across Yorta Yorta woka with some of my elders, family and other creatives. This is where I learned more of the horrendous damage our rivers have endured. My Uncle Lee Joachim showed us around to a few spots along the Dunhgala and Kaiela Rivers.”
Tarli’s works call for a deeper responsibility to Country. Caring for our rivers and lands requires more than good intentions. It demands listening to First Peoples’ knowledge, understanding what sustains these systems and respecting what is already there. Country is living, interconnected and deserving of care. The consequences of acting without that understanding continue.

Medium: Ceramic – glazed

Artwork Size: 10 x 10cm

Catalogue No: 505-25