Jenna Lee, Her Heritage 2021
Lee highlights how the mass collection and homogenisation of languages by early settlers and missionaries now acts as both obstacle and aid, as First Nations people seek to relearn their traditional languages.
In this video work, Lee has explored the introductory texts of the books Aboriginal Words of Australia and Aboriginal Place Names and their Meanings, published in 1965 and 1967 respectively, and reissued as Aboriginal Words and Place Names in 1977 by A. W. Reed. This dictionary compilation presents deeply flawed data in the listing of words with no reference to people or place. Instead, this book homogenises the 250 unique languages spoken by First Nations people, presenting them as inspiration for the naming of “houses, children, and boats”. Lee highlights how the mass collection and homogenisation of languages by early settlers and missionaries now acts as both obstacle and aid, as First Nations people seek to relearn their traditional languages.
Jenna Lee discusses her work 'Her Heritage' (2021) with Angela Goddard, Director of Griffith University Art Museum. The work was included in the Griffith Univeristy Art Museum exhibition 'The Data Imaginary: Fears and Fantasies'.
Multidisciplinary artist and designer Jenna Lee lives and works in Melbourne. She is Larrakia, Wardaman, and Karajarri, and identifies as a queer, mixed race, Asian, Aboriginal woman. In 2020 Lee was the recipient of the Wandjuk Marika 3D Memorial Award at the Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Awards (NATSIAA), and a finalist in the Ravenswood Australian Women’s Art Prize, the National Works on Paper Prize, the Libris Artists’ Book Prize and the 15 Artist Prize. In 2019 Lee was the recipient of the Australia Council’s Young and Emerging Dreaming Award, as well as one of ten finalists in the prestigious John Fries Award for emerging and early career Australian and New Zealander artists. In 2018 Jenna was a finalist in the 35th NATSIAA, a finalist in the 2018 Blacktown Art Prize, as well as winning Category 4 of the Libris Awards for her the loose-leaf artist book A Plant in the Wrong Place. She holds a Bachelor of Visual Communication Design from the Queensland College of Art, Griffith University, and a Graduate Certificate in Museum Studies from the University of Queensland.
Through her art, Lee explores language, labels, and objects, examining how they intersect to create or challenge the concept of identity, and the relationship between language and object. Her practice spans curation, creative design, art making, and production.
Visit Jenna Lee’s Website: jm-lee.myportfolio.com