Holly McLennan-Brown
Delve into the intricate details that define Holly
McLennan-Brown’s artistic journey, where every stroke
tells a story and every pattern weaves a connection to
her Yorta Yorta heritage.
Holly McLennan-Brown, a proud Yorta Yorta woman, weaves her cultural heritage into contemporary art.
Raised amidst the stories of Maloga and Cummeragunja, her family’s rich history fuels her creations. Her childhood,
filled with creative exploration alongside her mother and uncle, instilled a fearless approach to art.
Holly’s style is immersive, marked by intricate details
that mirror her patient nature. Her pieces include Yorta Yorta symbols, such as community circles and waterways, reflecting her deep connection to the Murray River. For her, storytelling is like a bridge that helps her share her life experiences through art.
Q: Can you share a bit about your personal connection
to the Yorta Yorta heritage?
A: Being a Yorta Yorta woman, my history and my family most notably comes from Maloga, and the Cummeragunja mission. My great great grandparents were Ada Cooper
and Thomas Shadrach James. They were big figures in the community, and they were instrumental in the organising of the Cummeragunja Station walkoff in 1939. They had
a son, who was my great grandfather, and my great grandmother was also born in Cummeragunja. My Nan, who was their daughter, is one of 14. So we are a big family, and there is just a lot of first-hand experiences
and stories that creates a really rich history and culture and connection to where we’re from.
Q: Your childhood memories of spending time with your mum and uncle sound incredibly meaningful. How do you think these early creative experiences have influenced your artistic style?
A: I’m an only child so growing up I never had to compromise on what I wanted to do. I just got to do what
I wanted to do all the time! So doing craft projects and
art and all of that kind of thing with my mum I just got to experiment with a lot of different mediums. Just having that one-on-one time with her I was so lucky! Then seeing my uncle’s artworks come in, I could say, let’s do green artwork like Uncle Adam! Just exploring all different
mediums and trying out different things has given me an attitude of feeling like if I have an idea, I can do it. I feel
like I’ve dabbledin a bit of everything, and I know what
I like, and I feel like when I get an idea I’m just going to
give it a go.
Q: How would you describe your unique art style?
A: I would describe it as immersive. My pieces are quite dense. There’s a lot of love and detail in them, and I think that that’s a bit of a reflection of who I am as a person
too. I’m somebody who’s patient, and I’ll happily sit in
my studio and spend the extra hour or two doing all the details. I have even heard some people comment, “Oh, it’s busy”. And I just love that. I think it can be chaotic, and that’s fun, I’m happy with my art looking busy that’s it’s definitely here to make a statement. It’s not subtle, it’s detailed. That’s my style, that’s me, and that’s what I love.
Q: Could you share a bit about the iconography in your artwork and their significance?
A: In my pieces you’ll see a lot of repetitive iconographies.
You’ll see things like a coolamons, for example. Depending on the message or the feeling of the artwork, the iconography will have a different meaning associated to it. For example there may be a piece that I’ve put coolamons into which represent the carrying of knowledge – in our past women would carry babies in them, they would
collect and carry food in them. So I might use that as
a representation of carrying knowledge or sharing knowledge. Also, I might use it in a piece that could be
a representation of nurturing and loving, or of a family carrying babies.
