Maree Clarke's 'Welcome to Barerarerungar' at MAD Florence

Australian Indigenous artist Maree Clarke (b. 1961, Mutti Mutti, Yorta Yorta, Wamba Wamba, Boon Wurrung) presents her first solo exhibition at a European public institution, 'Welcome to Barerarerungar', at MAD Murate Art District in Florence, running until July 28, 2024. During a month-long residency, Clarke gathered materials along the Arno River—combining fluvial reeds with painted feathers from Australia to create long necklaces that embody Indigenous traditions of welcome and protection. The exhibition also features photographic enlargements of plant cells (including bamboo) printed on translucent squares, set slightly off the wall to create a 3D shadow effect. Other rooms address themes of mourning, loss, rebirth from Mother Earth, and identity reclamation through video, photography, and installation. Public outdoor interventions invert the colonial gaze: black-and-white portraits of Indigenous people installed in the courtyards of MAD and the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnology look out at Florence for the first time. Clarke's practice over three decades has used echidna spines, kangaroo teeth, and river reeds to strengthen ties to her Southeast Australian heritage.