Archive of an Invasive Native

Multidisciplinary artist, Jenna Lee’s practice explores the act of identification and labelling, and the relationship between language and object. Lee is a mixed Larrakia, Wardaman, and Karajarri woman who at the time of creating Archive of an Invasive Native was living and working in the United Kingdom. While in the UK she explored museum and archival collections, uncovering hidden artefacts and objects and revealing the stories of her ancestors embodied within this cultural material.

This projection work, developed in collaboration with Sai Karlen, is part of an ongoing response to a collection of Australian native gum trees in the Kew Gardens, London. Far removed from their country, Lee finds comfort in the plants’ ability to thrive in a hostile environment, drawing parallels with her own separation from home. “This far from home, and still our roots run deep”