A Lismore artist is turning painful family memories, recovery and cultural reconnection into a deeply personal new exhibition at Lismore Regional Gallery.
Widjabul Wia-bal and Arakwal woman Valerie Smith was born and raised in Lismore and continues to live in the city, drawing on experiences spanning childhood, motherhood and teaching in her work.
Her exhibition, There was always song – Yadabalair, explores the way creativity and culture have helped Smith and her family navigate difficult experiences and intergenerational trauma.
At the centre of the story is Smith’s relationship with her father, whose struggles with alcohol form part of both painful memories and a later story of recovery.
‘Growing up in Lismore the iconic Gollan Hotel was one of dad’s favourite drinking places. It holds many painful adolescent memories but now serves as the corner my father sings the songs he wrote in recovery,’ Smith said.
‘He broke guitars while in alcoholic rages, now, he hands them to me to paint… together through creation and sobriety we have found our cultural identity, healing intergenerational trauma through his song and my colours.’
Smith’s paintings reflect a creative practice that has become increasingly intertwined with her connection to culture.
The exhibition also turns familiar Lismore places and objects into markers of memory, transformation and survival.
Rather than keeping difficult family experiences hidden, Smith places them at the centre of a conversation about what can emerge from recovery.
There was always song – Yadabalair opened at Lismore Regional Gallery on September 25 and runs until November 22.
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