Artist statement: Printed with iron-oxide pigment, signifying dried blood and the surrounding landscape rich in iron-ore, Koonibba (2023) reflects on the introduction of Christian Missions in South Australia.

Situated approximately 40 kilometres west of Ceduna and 800 kilometres northwest of Adelaide, the Koonibba Mission is the birthplace of my Grandfather Barwell Coleman.

For many years I have returned to the Koonibba and Point Pearce Mission sites. Through these visits I have become obsessed with the structures that endure in these communities. I find myself studying the bricks, crucifixes, and bells that sit outside each building.

This compulsion stems from the knowledge of the detrimental effect they had on my extended family – enduring loss of language and culture, illness, and slave labour.