Jacqueline Jacky

Jacqueline Jacky is a proud Gamilroi and Dunghutti woman born and raised in Sydney. She is currently completing a Bachelor of Fine Arts at UNSW Art & Design. She is also a founding member of Original Legacy, an Indigenous collaborative with a group of First Nations artists, that have a goal to create in all forms. Most recently, Jacky was the winner of the 2023 Jenny Birt Award at AD Space, UNSW Art & Design.

Jacky’s interests span a wide range of mediums, although she concentrates especially on moving image, printmaking, textiles, editing, and research. The evolution of her identity, friendships, family history, acknowledgement, space, land, ocean, Indigenous politics, environmental issues, and performance-based art are all a part of her practice. She has a strong desire to give art a voice so that it might affect change in all spheres of life. “Yes, my art practice is a huge part who I am, but my culture, family, friends and land is also a big part of me”.

When Jacky isn’t making art, you can find her at the beach, spending time with family and friends. She loves to support other artist through seeing music gigs, exhibition, or artist workshops. Her long-term objectives are to create full-time, learn more about her field, collaborate, and get involved in the community- based works.

Tell us about your creative process, what drives your practice?

My creative practice involves concepts of identity, archives, place (acknowledgement), nature, relationships, collaboration, conversations, storytelling, Indigenous politics. Materially my practice is primally made up of screen-print, watercolour monotypes, lino, moving image, and textiles. As I know my practice with grow, currently this is what my creative processes include. The affinities that drive me and my practice are a whole lot of things including relationships, conversations with loved ones or individuals, nature, all things living, creating a voice that can’t be heard and looking through archives to reinvent them. Practicians, that influence my practice are Megan Cope, Vernon Ah Kee, Archie Roach, Warwick Thornton, Tracey Moffatt, Nadi Simpson, and Amrita Hepi.

Many of your works involve the accumulation of multiple printmaking processes, such as screen printing, watercolour monotype, and relief printing. What draws you to layering and why is it important to your work?

Layering comes naturally to my practice within printmaking. Conceptually my works involve multiple layers of stories and archives which I like to physically replicate into my printing. Also, I was drawn to watercolour monotypes, screen-print and lino as they all offer different textures and layers to my artworks. My softer pieces are watercolour monotypes or lino but screen-print creates a bold statement for my work.

The application and activation of archival materials, especially that of your family and its history, is prevalent in your practice. How does this stimuli–both photographic and oral–inform your works and your exploration of the women in your family?

The archival aspect of my work is developed through a dense process. I research through yarning with my mother, photographs and books. This process is significant to the exploration of the women in my family as it allows myself and the viewer to understand the personal stories that these women had to encounter and all Indigenous women. I personally think that photographs, stories, and books tell us more than we think. Recreating the archive is an element I know the audience will be drawn to. I appropriate the archives to create renewal and show the impacts of colonialisation. Sometimes imagery isn’t enough on its own, so I add the element of text. The element of text allows the audience to see the stories verbally.

More Than Reproduction recently collaborated with your collective, Original Legacy, for a NAIDOC project. Can you tell us more about Original Legacy and its connection to your artistic practice?

Original Legacy, is an Indigenous owned and led creative studio that has a focus towards fashion and art. We were established in early 2023, and there is currently four people: myself, Sonny Green, Sadie Green, and Shauntai Delaney. We have currently collaborated with More Than Reproduction for a NAIDOC themed, “For Our Elders”, tote bag. We decided to collaborate to showcase our designs and More Than Reproduction printmaking skills, and their support for women printmakers. In connection to my art practice, Original Legacy has encouraged my practice to produce and promote my art designs in a different way. My personal practice and the art in Original Legacy differ, but they also interconnect. The concepts have definitely crossed between Original Legacy and my personal practice.

Are there any female printmakers | artists that influence you?

Female printmakers that influence me are Megan Cope, Meggan Winsley, Rachel Newling, Julie Freeman and Elisabeth Cummings. All of these artists work with traditional print, such as etchings, lino, and monotypes. Although our practices tend to differ, I draw concepts and technique forms from these artists. I draw inspiration from these artist as they are women in a printmaking field which showcases excellence.

Finally, what exciting projects are you working on at the moment?

Projects that I’m currently working on are, NAIDOC collaboration with Original Legacy and More Than Reproduction, art Launch with Original Legacy and a development of a previous video, Acknowledge your presence, 2022!!! Overall, just making ☺