Fiona Clarke
Aboriginal Artist

Fiona Clarke a Gunditjmara/ Kirrae Whurrong woman was born in 1963 to Henry ‘Banjo’ Clarke and Audrey Clarke, (nee Couzens) in Warrnambool, Western Victoria.

Fiona has lived with a myriad of health issues including Grand Mal epilepsy, (since she was three months old), Tuberculosis, Deep Vein Thrombosis to name a few. Doctors suggested to her parents she would not live past 20 years of age due to the severity of her health issues. In addition she battled racism through school and lived in the fear brought on by stories of cousins and members of her community being taken away as children.

Defiantly Fiona has now been a First Nations artist for over 33 years and has beaten all those health foes and is now a healthy strong Kirrae Whurrong woman who inspires all around her young and old, indigenous, and non-Indigenous with her strength, wisdom, resilience, honesty, and integrity.

Fiona first began as a Tapestry artist after studying the Associate Diploma of Studio Textiles at Warrnambool Institute of TAFE, (1992-93). In turn she secured a 12 month residency at the Victorian Tapestry workshop, (now the Australian Tapestry Workshop) where she was the first Aboriginal artist to design and weave her own artwork, (many prominent Aboriginal artists, for example Emily Kame Kngwarreye, have had their art woven at the ATW but never woven them). She wove her artwork, ‘Talking Tucker’ (which is now in the collection of the Warrnambool Art Gallery).

As the repetitive practice of weaving took its toll on her wrists, she resumed her canvas painting and has now become a prominent artist having, exhibited in Melbourne completed many private and public art commissions.

Fiona also taught Victorian Aboriginal art at Warrnambool Institute of TAFE as part of a health and wellness program to help other Aboriginal community members build confidence in themselves helping them to look forward positively and inspiring them to become leaders and advocates for their Aboriginal culture and pride.

As a woman who is passionate about her culture and arts, she was part of the Aboriginal organisation Tarerer Gunditj Project Association Inc (TGPA) who held annual festivals for 21 years and were deeply focused on lifting awareness of Aboriginal culture, arts and reconciliation. Fiona was on the founding board for all that time and involved in the planning and operating many of the programs which were run by TGPA, (Tarerer Gunditj Project Association Inc ran youth leadership programs, corporate Welcome to Country sessions educating the corporate sector on Aboriginal culture and tradition and curated art exhibitions).

Fiona’s artwork ‘Walkabout Wickets’ is currently worn proudly by the Australian Cricket team, (men’s and women’s) as Fiona is a direct descendant to the First Aboriginal Cricket team who toured England in 1868 and her artwork represents them, and all cricketers indigenous and non-Indigenous past, present and future.

Born in 1962, Warrnambool, South West Victoria Kenneth McKean began drawing at an early age. Due to the ongoing inspiration from both his mother and Grandmother Ken studied and practiced to emerge as a professional artist in his mid 20s’.

While studying in 1993 Ken had the opportunity to be mentored highly renowned Australian artist Brian Dunlop, (dec) who invited Ken to practice with him in his Eumeralla Art Studio in Yambuk. They worked together for 12 months, an invaluable learning experience for Ken.

Ken emerged to be a prominent artist in 2003 when he and renowned Aboriginal artist Fiona Clarke collaborated to create the, ‘Eel Trap’ a sculpture with significant cultural meaning. This work was commissioned by the City of Melbourne in the lead up to the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games.

More recently in 2019 Ken has once again collaborated with Fiona to create artworks that tell stories of the seven Aboriginal seasons which are now embedded in the forecourts of five Train Stations along the Melbourne to Ballarat train line, (the five stations are Rockbank, Cobblebank, Bacchus Marsh, Ballan and Wendouree). These important artworks leave a legacy that will last through many generations sharing the extremely important culture and stories of Australia’s First Nation peoples.

Further spreading and sharing his art out into the world Ken has taken to putting his art on to clothing, particularly active/sportswear. Have a look in Ken’s store to see the range of quality products available of Ken’s ‘art to wear’.