A Powerful Opening: Ripple Narratives Launches NAIDOC 2025 Exhibition at Heart Space Copa
On Thursday night, Ripple Narratives launched The Next Generation: Strength, Vision & Legacy — a moving and immersive visual storytelling exhibition presented for NAIDOC Week 2025.
Held at Heart Space Copa on Darkinjung Country, the opening brought together community, culture, and conversation through two powerful photographic series: the Pilbara Portrait Series and The Shaede Project.
Guests were welcomed with a live Yidaki performance from Jesse Lethbridge — grounding the space with sound and spirit. More than an event, the night invited everyone to witness stories too often left out of the frame.
The night was also attended by Adam Crouch MP, Member for Terrigal, who showed his support for the exhibition and its message of truth-telling, cultural continuity, and community strength.
As Ripple Narratives co-founder Luke Gemmill shared in his opening speech, the Pilbara series was captured during a 12-day journey through remote Western Australia — more than 4,000km travelled to document the strength of children, families, and frontline workers in communities often ignored. The portraits are displayed in loose, organic clusters, mirroring the rugged beauty and reality of life in the Pilbara.
Across the gallery, The Shaede Project, created in collaboration with Blak and Queer artist Dylan Hoskins, reclaims space through portraiture that is both adorned and unflinching. Blending symbols of colonial power with sovereign Blak expression, these works challenge viewers to reflect on gender, culture, and identity through a deeply personal and political lens.
A standout feature of the exhibition is the interactive red desert sand installation — inviting guests to remove their shoes and stand barefoot, literally and symbolically grounding themselves in solidarity with the communities represented.
As the two series gaze across the room at one another, the audience is placed at the centre — not as passive viewers, but as active participants. The gaze is reversed. The stories look back.
This exhibition asks us:
What kind of legacy are we building for the next generation?
The Next Generation: Strength, Vision & Legacy runs until 13 July 2025.
Viewing hours and full details at: www.ripplenarratives.com/events/naidoc-exhibition
