Bundanon

Zena Cumpston is a Barkandji woman with Afghan, Irish and English heritage.

Zena works as an artist, writer, researcher, curator and consultant. Zena is a member of the Birrarung Council in Narrm and has worked extensively as a freelance writer. She began making visual art in late 2022, forging an exciting new pathway to telegraph and extend her research and writing practice. In 2024 her artworks will be seen as part of the NETS national tour of ngaratya (together, us group, all in it together), The Soils Project at Van Abbemuseum (Netherlands), Lightscape (Royal Botanic Gardens Narrm), DISH (major exhibition, Town Hall Gallery, Narrm) and as part of bíal gwiyúŋo (the fire is not yet lit) at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. In September 2024 she will present her first solo show ‘Return’, focussing on plants of place of the municipality of Darebin (Narrm) as part of Darebin FUSE Festival.

In Residence at Bundanon

For many years Zena’s work across multiple fora has focussed on her extensive research into south-eastern Aboriginal plant use. Zena will utilise her residency to deep dive into her research and to experiment with both new adventures in writing and her linocut print practice. As a Mum of two young children, extended periods of uninterrupted creative time are rare, and the Bundanon Residency will provide an exciting opportunity to undertake deeply focussed work, sowing many seeds for upcoming projects.