Goolugatup is a place layered with histories of culture, disruption, and survival. While most people might hear “place of children” and think of fun, learning, or play, for me, Goolugatup holds a deeper meaning — it is a place of teaching, connection, and resistance. It is where my people sat on hills around fires, passing knowledge to the young, guided by leaders such as Midgegooroo and Yagan, defenders of our lands and people.
I am who I am because of my mother, my grandparents, and ancestors who have walked this Country for thousands upon thousands of years. Goolugatup connects me to them — to the love, care, and lessons passed through generations, to the stories of my mother as a child on a Noongar camp— sleeping on dirt floors, hunting and fishing with her father, making dolls with her mother, and playing by the river with her siblings and cousins, until the day she was bathed, dressed in new clothes, and taken away from them.
Through this body of work, I seek to reclaim space, voice, and memory — for the collective histories of those who resisted, and for those who continue to endure. I honour my ancestors and their enduring presence, strength, and resilience.
- Brett Nannup, 2026 TILT Commission Artist.
Image courtesy the artist.
