Kait James

I wish to acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the lands on which I live, work, and where this exhibition will travel. I pay my deepest respects to Elders past and present, to our leaders, and to the future generations who will continue to shape and strengthen our communities.

I also recognise the guidance of our ancestors, whose wisdom and strength continue to inform and inspire us today. Their enduring presence reminds us of our deep connections to Country and culture, and I carry their spirit throughout this exhibition.

As this journey unfolds, I hold hope that the ‘Red Flags’ raised through this work will no longer need to be waved by the time this tour concludes. May the conversations sparked lead to change, healing, and a future where these issues are no longer relevant.

Thank You

This exhibition, book and tour is a massive dream, my most ambitious work to date, and there are so many people who have helped me achieve this. I’d like to express my deepest gratitude to everyone involved.

A special thank you to Aaron Bradbrook, Director of Warrnambool Art Gallery for his unwavering support and guidance, not only with the Warrnambool exhibition but also his hard work making this book and tour a reality. A massive thank you to Aaron’s incredible team—Serena and her extra brain, Micky the geometry genius, Megan the flag wiz, and everyone at Warrnambool Art Gallery and Warrnmabool City Council.

Thank you to Madé, Geoff, and Emma from Neon Parc for your constant support and for keeping me kinda sane during this process.

To Stewart, Danica, and Ana from Spacecraft Studio—your expertise, patience, and beautiful printing and sewing skills have been invaluable, and I’m beyond grateful. A big thanks to Gemma Jones for her masterful crocheting, and to Isabelle Moustra (Worimi/Biripi) from Too Friendly Ceramics for shar- ing their knowledge and skills to create the ‘little babies’—the Ancestors were certainly on our side!

Thank you to Who Gives A Crap for providing the life-sized toilet paper, and to everyone at NETS Victoria specifically Director Claire Watson for believing in this exhibition and making the tour a reality, and to Creative Australia for their assistance and funding.

A heartfelt thank you to Kate ten Buuren, Myles Russell-Cook, and Raquel Ormella for contributing your insightful essays, I’m so grateful for your interest and support for my practice. Thank you to Lavinia for the beautiful book design.

To my lovely folks, thank you for understanding my lack of visits this year and for always being my biggest fans, love you! To my sister, for the post-exhibition holiday; to my brother, for finally moving out of my apartment (no offence); and to the rest of my family and mob for their love and ongoing support.

Last but not least, to my beautiful friends, thank you for being my sounding boards, for listening to me whinge, for being the bestest friends and for your constant encouragement.

Without each and every one of you, this exhibition wouldn’t have been possible.

THANK YOU! xx