In the Emmiyengal language karrabing means “tide out” but for Karrabing Film Collective members it also refers to how their families come together through a sacred coastline along the Anson Bay region of the northwest coast of the Northern Territory. For their first solo exhibition in Australia, these award-winning filmmakers present their latest work, The Mermaids: Mirror Worlds (2018), a two-channel video installation exploring the present and future of Western industrial toxicity, as well as new artwork and film installations.

Films in the exhibition carry visitors through time and across vast distances, providing a window into the contemporary life of Indigenous peoples in northern Australia. The films and installations interweave ancestral stories, an early 20th century historical displacement and journey, and ultimately reflect the very real challenges faced by Karrabing members and their communities in relation to government regulation, corporate and industrial interests, and the natural environment.

Members of the Karrabing Film Collective are: Patsy-Ann Jorrock, Trevor Bianamu, Gavin Bianamu, Sheree Bianamu, Telish Bianamu, Cameron Bianamu, Natasha Bigfoot, Katrina Bigfoot, Kelvin Bigfoot, Marcia Bigfoot, Rex Edmunds, Chloe Gordon, Claudette Gordon, Miles Gordon, Claude Holtze, Reggie Jorrock, Marcus Jorrock, Ethan Jorrock, Arthur Jorrock, Melissa Jorrock, Alethia Jorroth, Roblin Lane, Danielle Lane, Darryll Lane, Loraine Lane, Sharon Lane, Serena Lane, Paul Lane, Akaydia Lee, Angela Lewis, Cecilia Lewis, Joclyn McDonald Yarrowin, Elizabeth Povinelli, Quinton Sheilds, Rex Sing, Shannon Sing, Aiden Sing, Kieran Sing, Cassic Sing, Alice Wainbirri, Daphne Yarrowin, Sandra Yarrowin, Claudia Yarrowin, Roy Yarrowin, Georgia Yarrowin, and Roger Yarrowin.

The work The Mermaids: Mirror Worlds was co-commissioned by the IMA, Frontier Imaginaries, Publics, and the Van Abbemuseum with generous support from the Australian Government through Indigenous Languages and Arts.