Kym Maxwell, Territorial Strongholds, 2025
2026 Darebin Art Prize, Buindoora Homestead, Feb 3rd to Jun 20th, 2026
Depicting flowers and plants native to Palestine, Territorial Strongholds positions the artist as a digital witness to colonisation from a distance. Her work showcases images from the region. It includes botany, a playground at PIBS, and a soldier’s video from a conflict on a soccer pitch.
Maxwell is a settler artist in Australia. She focuses on education, childhood, and social space. She considers how institutional frameworks influence play and public space. She shows how destroying public spaces meant for joy and community can be a tool of oppression, as spaces for play also help people heal from trauma. The artwork highlights that when conflict causes the loss of civic spaces, it takes a heavy toll on the community.
