ARTIST: Matt Everitt c.1976 –
TITLE: Soakage
LANGUAGE/REGION: Taungurung VIC
YEAR: 2026
DIMENSIONS: 190.0cm x 90.0cm
MEDIUM: digital art, print
DTA CATALOGUE: #soakage
Matt is a proud Taungurung man of the Kulin from Central Victoria, Australia. He is currently a board member of ACMI (Australian Centre of Moving Image). He was a former board member of Kinaway – Chamber of Commerce. He has had roles as a council member for the Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions (DJPR), Victorian Aboriginal Employment and Economic Council (VAEEC), Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) Victorian Summit Future of Commerce and Industry Vision 2050 – Thought Leadership reference group and graduate of Leadership Victoria Williamson Community Program and Australian Institute of Company Directors (governance).
His mission is to play a positive and impactful role within First Nations communities and aspiring to be a great role model for other Aboriginal people and his children. He strongly advocates for First Nations voices to be heard, influence decision-making, and policy design, giving space, agency, equity, trust, respect and legacy allowing our people to lead our conversations and decision-making.
Soakage
“Water does not only move across the surface of this continent, it also travels beneath it soaking into ground, holding memory and sustaining life long before it is seen. In dry places it becomes a soakage. In other places it opens into creeks, rivers, wetlands and oceans. Each expression is shaped by Country, yet all are connected.
This artwork follows water as a way of understanding connection across Australia. It speaks to the places where people gather around water, shared responsibility, and caring for Country and one another. Tthe gathering places are not always loud or visible. Often, they are quiet places, where knowledge is carried forward and relationships are formed over time.
The pathways that move through this work represent journeys of partnership. They weave, meet, and continue on reflecting how communities walk together, never in isolation, but side by side. No single line stands alone. Strength is found in connection, from shared direction, and from the willingness to move together into the future. At key points along the travel lines, people and communities are represented as gatherings and celebrations, moments where decisions are made, traditions are practiced, and partnerships are formed.
Plant forms grow from these water places as a sign of what happens when care is taken seriously. Growth does not come from extraction, but from protection, listening and long-term thinking. Plant forms flourish where there is healthy water, fertile land, and respect for natural cycles. These forms speak to healthy, inclusive communities to raising one another up, amplifying voices, and creating space for knowledge to be valued rather than taken.
Across the canvas, shifting land formations reflect the diversity of Country: desert landscapes, forested places, and open, bare ground. Each carries its own knowledge and demands its own care.
Water reminds us that everything is cyclical. What we protect today sustains tomorrow. What we hold now must be carried forward for those who come after us. In this way, water becomes a story of responsibility, to land, to people, and to future generations.
Ultimately, this artwork is about coming together. It is about recognising that across this continent, connection has always been possible when respect leads the way. When we work together grounded in place, guided by care, and committed to the future, the moment means more, not just now, but for what it makes possible for next.”
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© Dreamtime Art 2026
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