Aboriginal artist profiles
Artwork by Dennis Golding, Kamilaroi/Gamilaraay man. Commissioned by Cancer Institute NSW.
Our Artists
Dennis Golding
Kamilaroi/Gamilaraay man, Dennis Golding, is a Sydney-based artist and also works as the First Nations Creative Producer at Australian Design Centre. Completing his Fine Arts Honours program at UNSW Art & Design, Dennis has developed a creative practice that explores empowering representations of identity and race.
Dennis Golding is a member of the Re-Right Collective, and a current artist in residence at Artspace Sydney. Most recently, he won the Aboriginal Art Award in the 2019 Fishers Ghost Art Awards, and has been named a finalist of the 2020 NSW Visual Arts Emerging Fellowship.
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About the artwork
Communicating for and about Aboriginal communities is unique, with stories often told in a very visual way through art. Recognising this, the Cancer Institute NSW commissioned Dennis to create this master artwork to depict the organisation’s story, highlighting its collaboration with other health agencies and local Aboriginal communities.
The master artwork is displayed in the Institute’s office and has been digitally adapted for use across all materials that relate to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander programs, services and projects.
The overarching theme of the artwork is unity and respect; highlighting how the Institute works with other organisations and communities to better provide programs, services and support for Indigenous Australians as it works to lessen the impact of cancer across NSW.
The Aboriginal artwork is more than just a design—it is about the organisation’s values (collaboration, openness, respect, empowerment) and how it works to lessen the impact of cancer among Aboriginal communities. This artwork and its elements now form part of the Institute’s corporate identity, providing a common base for clear, consistent, unified, credible and effective communication about the Cancer Institute NSW and its work with, and for, Aboriginal communities.
Carissa Paglino
About the artwork
"This artwork reflects the journey Aboriginal women are on, some become mothers, aunties, grandmothers, sisters. The smaller circle elements of the artwork depict the close connection Aboriginal women have to other women and how knowledge and stories are shared. These smaller circle elements are connected by dotted lines to other larger circle elements. These larger elements reflect the broader community.
The community Aboriginal women live in supports their health and wellbeing. In the centre of these community elements rests a symbol for Aboriginal women. We talk about women’s business, health and wellbeing, and part of that yarn means talking about breast screening and breast cancer.
Many of us have been impacted by breast cancer, and many have made it through and shared their stories, however we also need to acknowledge those who didn’t. The larger pink circles represent that yarning space, sharing messages of early detection, screening and being proactive about our healing and women’s business.
The main circle elements in this artwork are for the services and centres that are there to provide screening, treatment and information about breast cancer. There is so much support and knowledge sharing and it’s up to each one of us to look after our women. Early detection is lifesaving."
"My name is Carissa Paglino, I am 39 years old and I was born and raised in the city of Newcastle. I am a descendant of the Wanaruah nation. I have always had a great passion for art and design and for the past 15 years I have
worked as both an In-House Graphic Designer as well as a Freelance Graphic Designer and Visual Artist."
Artwork “Biyani”, by proud Kamilaroi and Jerrinja woman, Jasmine Sarin.
Jasmine Sarin
About the artwork
BreastScreen NSW commissioned an artwork ‘Biyani’ to enhance communications with Aboriginal women when promoting breast screening.
"This artwork reflects the journey Aboriginal women are on, some become mothers, aunties, grandmothers, sisters.
The smaller circle elements of the artwork depict the close connection Aboriginal women have to other women and how knowledge and stories are shared. These smaller circle elements are connected by dotted lines to other larger circle elements. These larger elements reflect the broader community. The community Aboriginal women live in supports their health and wellbeing. In the centre of these community elements rests a symbol for Aboriginal women. We talk about women’s business, health and wellbeing, and part of that yarn means talking about breast screening and breast cancer.
Many of us have been impacted by breast cancer, and many have made it through and shared their stories, however we also need to acknowledge those who didn’t. The larger pink circles represent that yarning space, sharing messages of early detection, screening and being proactive about our healing and women’s business.
The main circle elements in this artwork are for the services and centres that are there to provide screening, treatment and information about breast cancer. There is so much support and knowledge sharing and it’s up to each one of us to look after our women. Early detection is lifesaving."