The Meeting Place is a photographic exhibition by Hilda Bezuidenhout, created in collaboration with the collective Garwoeidhamin Mayan. The series brings together image-making and cultural storytelling to explore connection, place and shared presence. Through a curated body of photographic works, the exhibition invites viewers to enter a space of meeting and can be experienced as a physical and visual journey through the images on display.

Garwoeidhamin Mayan (Gar-woid-are-min May-arn) is a First Nations collective of three separate songlines, three stories, one journey. A meeting place for all to gather, it’s meaning: ‘Come together at the waterhole’.

Created by Gomeroi (Gom-er-oi) women Tayla Jackson and Erica Dixon alongside Wagadagam (Wa-ga-da-gam) and Goemu (Gu-mu) woman Harlisha Newie-Joe. Garwoeidhamin Mayan honours the ancestral connections of both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, acknowledging these two Cultures are distinct in their traditions and expressions and they are equally profound in their strength, beauty and enduring wisdom.

The heart and core of Garwoeidhamin Mayan is a vision to celebrate, preserve, and continue sharing the stories that have shaped this land for millennia. The collective’s movements draw from the essence of their Culture and Stories, the fluidity of our saltwaters and the embrace of our freshwaters. Healing and cleansing internally whilst drawing the power from their connections and balance of land and sea.

Meeting on Darkinjung Country through NAISDA Dance College where the three artists delved into finding their voices, building their community and exploring the rhythm of who they are and how they embrace showcasing their Culture and connection through movement. The three artists weave their experiences into a special way of storytelling, a language all can connect to, movement.