d Harding
Bidjara, Ghungalu and Garingbal people Australia b.1982
with Hayley Matthew
Bidjara, Ghungalu and Garingbal people Australia b.1988

As I remember it (H2) 2022
Earth pigment and binder on Arches cold-pressed 185gsm paper
Courtesy: Private collection

On the walls of sandstone caves in central Queensland, millennia-old outlines of hands, weapons and tools emerge from a haze of ochre blown from the mouth. In As I remember it (H2) 2022 artist d Harding, with their cousin Hayley Matthew, have used a similar technique, taking a gami or wooden digging stick (primarily used for harvesting root vegetables) as a stencil.

Carved by Uncle Milton Lawton, this tool–stencil is a replica of a digging stick owned by Harding and Matthew’s grandmother, Margaret Lawton. By bringing it into a rock art tradition which has historically reproduced men’s articles, such as boomerangs and shields, Harding introduces women’s stories into continuing cultural practices. In the outline of the digging stick lies a reminder of this matrilineal knowledge passed from mother to daughter over generations.

Each imprint of the digging stick is an index of breath. Harding has come to see this shared practice as a familial imprint, with each exhalation a continuation of shared artistic lineage.