Marianne Wobcke is an urban Indigenous artist, registered nurse and midwife. Her creative works, “Perinatal Dreaming” document her unique research journey, deeply embedded in her search for identity, meaning and belonging.
Her work is informed through personal, professional and inherited ancestral knowledge of the inner biological, spiritual and emotional landscapes of the Perinatal realms of the human unconscious. She has shared this knowledge, for the last decade with Indigenous students and first time mums: through a program she developed called, “Understanding Country”.
She contests these internal, sub conscious frontiers of the psyche are profoundly imprinted during the first 1000 days of life and are currently, drastically underestimated in their potential to dynamically influence how we perceive and interact with the world.
Her artworks visually and viscerally expose the toxic impact connected to Perinatal and transgenerational trauma, while embracing and reflecting on our inherent potential for transformation and reconciliation.
She inspires her audience to connect with their own deep inner resources where their imagination can evoke many positive changes to their sense of wellbeing. Her artworks are contemplative and reflect on her own personal story while simultaneously connecting to our collective Ancestral roots.
Marianne lives in Toowoomba and was the 2021 recipient of the prestigious Australia Council, Ros Bower award. She has over 40 years of diverse initiation experiences, working with birthing and dying clients. She is passionate about inspiring and supporting clients to explore and express their unique creativity.
Awards and Recognition
List Awards:
• The Australia Council Ros Bower Award for outstanding life time, contribution to community and culture, 2021
• Australian Indigenous Art Medal, 2010
• Griffith University Medal for outstanding academic achievement, 2010
• Griffith University Medal for outstanding studio practice, 2010
• Awarded life membership – Golden Key – Griffith University, 2010
• The Lynda Buxton award for academic excellence, Griffith University, 2008
• Won Griffith University Open Day Art Competition – artwork made into a bookmark, 2008
• Selected for Theiss Art Prize “Dreaming of my Country” – screen-print, 2007
• 2005, 2006, 2007 Griffith awards for academic excellence
• Awarded Best Theme Exploration, Odyssey Film Festival Toowoomba, 2003 for short film on Perinatal
• Access Arts Indigenous Community Arts Grant, 2009 – $1500 – for Making Memories exhibition
• Perinatal Dreaming Exhibition/Installation –First Contact, SEQ Regional Arts Program grant – $4000 – 2010
• Indigenous Lighthouse Grant, Southern QLD Institute, 2009 – to attend art workshops
• Patience Thoms Indigenous Australian (Honours/Postgraduate) Scholarship, 2008 – $4,000
• 2008 – presented Perinatal Dreaming at Oscar winner: Giger’s Castle in Switzerland
• Gummurrii Indigenous Support Grant, 2008 (also support trip to Switzerland)
Exhibitions
List Exhibitions:
• QLD Arts Health Network Lunchtime series presentation: Perinatal Dreaming visual presentation 2nd December, 2020
• Nagamumu Project – First 1000 Days – presented on-line Conversation, 2020
• Making Memories – workshops funded by Access Art and IUIH, exhibited Mater Mothers, NAIDOC 2019
• WINDO International Women’s Day – film presentation and panel – Perinatal Dreaming, Noosa, March 2019
• Woodford Folk Festival – 3 one-hour Perinatal Dreaming presentations (film/music and panel), December 2018
• Perinatal Dreaming Workshop and Presentation at THRIVE – 2-day creative health forum, QLD Ambulance Station & the Sunshine Coast Creative Alliance, April 2018
• Presented Perinatal Dreaming at 20th National Australian College of Midwives Conference – Adelaide, 2017
• My Adoption Experience Jigsaw QLD Forced Adoptions Catalogue, 2017
• Presented at Health Arts Action Leadership Project –National Summit Program, at the Mater Hospital, Brisbane – June, 2017
• Women of Substance Exhibition Impress Gallery and Studio, Wooloowin, September 2016
• Women of Substance Folio Box Exhibition Whitebox Gallery, QCA, South Bank; 2nd – 13th March 2016
• Presented Perinatal Dreaming at 19th National Australian College of Midwives Conference – Royal Pines Resort, Gold Coast, October 2015
• Presented Perinatal Dreaming at Delivering Culturally Competent Maternity and Family Services to ATSI People – Through Flexible and Innovative Models of Care Conference, Townsville – April 2014
• Keynote Speaker – 18th National Australian College of Midwives Conference – Hobart – Sept/Oct 2013 – (Perinatal Dreaming Installation)
• Presented Perinatal Dreaming at “Reimagining Birth” International Research Symposium Humanities Institute, UCD – 2013
• Presented Perinatal Dreaming workshop at 17th National Australian College of Midwives Conference, Technology Park, Redfern, Sydney; Octobe18th-21st 2011
• Perinatal Dreaming Presentation at Giger’s Castle, Gruyere, Switzerland, Sept 2010
• Tightrope Honours Graduating Exhibition, “Perinatal Dreaming Instillation”.
• Unfolding Fine Art and Contemporary Australian Indigenous Art Honours, midyear exhibition, 26th -6th June, 2008.
• Coolamon – carrying the culture. Brisbane City Library.
• Dreaming of my Country, 2007, screenprint 50 x 35 cm. Selected for the Thiess Art Prize.
• Emergence Contemporary Australian Indigenous Art 10th -17th November 2007.
• “The Dance of the Mimi Spirits, Intellectual Dreaming”, a bookmark created from Griffith University Open Day competition.
Exhibiting Galleries
List Galleries work shown in
• Mater Mothers, Making Memories Exhibition, foyer and other floors
• St Vincent’s Hospital NAIDOC 2017 & 2018
• White Box Gallery – QCA,
• The Project Gallery QCA
• Dell Gallery QCA
• Webb Gallery QCA
• Machinery Galleries QCA
• CAIA Gallery QCA
• Impress Gallery and Studio Wooloowin
• QLD State Library – kuril dhagun
• Giger’s Castle and bar in Gruyere, Switzerland
Other
Chosen as Indigenous Representative – 16 delegates elected to QLD Creative Arts in Health Leadership Team – leadership role in establishing Arts in Health initiatives at a National level. One of 5 QLD’s chosen to represent and present at the first National Summit. Participated in writing QLD draft for Indigenous inclusion in National paper. 2016 – ongoing as the QLD Arts/Health Network.
Artist Biography
Marianne Wobcke is an urban Indigenous artist, registered nurse and midwife. Her creative works, “Perinatal Dreaming” document her unique research journey, deeply embedded in her search for identity, meaning and belonging.
Her work is informed through personal, professional and inherited ancestral knowledge of the inner biological, spiritual and emotional landscapes of the Perinatal realms of the human unconscious. She has shared this knowledge, for the last decade with Indigenous students and first time mums: through a program she developed called, “Understanding Country”.
She contests these internal, sub conscious frontiers of the psyche are profoundly imprinted during the first 1000 days of life and are currently, drastically underestimated in their potential to dynamically influence how we perceive and interact with the world.
Her artworks visually and viscerally expose the toxic impact connected to Perinatal and transgenerational trauma, while embracing and reflecting on our inherent potential for transformation and reconciliation.
She inspires her audience to connect with their own deep inner resources where their imagination can evoke many positive changes to their sense of wellbeing. Her artworks are contemplative and reflect on her own personal story while simultaneously connecting to our collective Ancestral roots.
Marianne lives in Toowoomba and was the 2021 recipient of the prestigious Australia Council, Ros Bower award. She has over 40 years of diverse initiation experiences, working with birthing and dying clients. She is passionate about inspiring and supporting clients to explore and express their unique creativity.
Awards and Recognition
List Awards:
• The Australia Council Ros Bower Award for outstanding life time, contribution to community and culture, 2021
• Australian Indigenous Art Medal, 2010
• Griffith University Medal for outstanding academic achievement, 2010
• Griffith University Medal for outstanding studio practice, 2010
• Awarded life membership – Golden Key – Griffith University, 2010
• The Lynda Buxton award for academic excellence, Griffith University, 2008
• Won Griffith University Open Day Art Competition – artwork made into a bookmark, 2008
• Selected for Theiss Art Prize “Dreaming of my Country” – screen-print, 2007
• 2005, 2006, 2007 Griffith awards for academic excellence
• Awarded Best Theme Exploration, Odyssey Film Festival Toowoomba, 2003 for short film on Perinatal
• Access Arts Indigenous Community Arts Grant, 2009 – $1500 – for Making Memories exhibition
• Perinatal Dreaming Exhibition/Installation –First Contact, SEQ Regional Arts Program grant – $4000 – 2010
• Indigenous Lighthouse Grant, Southern QLD Institute, 2009 – to attend art workshops
• Patience Thoms Indigenous Australian (Honours/Postgraduate) Scholarship, 2008 – $4,000
• 2008 – presented Perinatal Dreaming at Oscar winner: Giger’s Castle in Switzerland
• Gummurrii Indigenous Support Grant, 2008 (also support trip to Switzerland)
Exhibitions
List Exhibitions:
• QLD Arts Health Network Lunchtime series presentation: Perinatal Dreaming visual presentation 2nd December, 2020
• Nagamumu Project – First 1000 Days – presented on-line Conversation, 2020
• Making Memories – workshops funded by Access Art and IUIH, exhibited Mater Mothers, NAIDOC 2019
• WINDO International Women’s Day – film presentation and panel – Perinatal Dreaming, Noosa, March 2019
• Woodford Folk Festival – 3 one-hour Perinatal Dreaming presentations (film/music and panel), December 2018
• Perinatal Dreaming Workshop and Presentation at THRIVE – 2-day creative health forum, QLD Ambulance Station & the Sunshine Coast Creative Alliance, April 2018
• Presented Perinatal Dreaming at 20th National Australian College of Midwives Conference – Adelaide, 2017
• My Adoption Experience Jigsaw QLD Forced Adoptions Catalogue, 2017
• Presented at Health Arts Action Leadership Project –National Summit Program, at the Mater Hospital, Brisbane – June, 2017
• Women of Substance Exhibition Impress Gallery and Studio, Wooloowin, September 2016
• Women of Substance Folio Box Exhibition Whitebox Gallery, QCA, South Bank; 2nd – 13th March 2016
• Presented Perinatal Dreaming at 19th National Australian College of Midwives Conference – Royal Pines Resort, Gold Coast, October 2015
• Presented Perinatal Dreaming at Delivering Culturally Competent Maternity and Family Services to ATSI People – Through Flexible and Innovative Models of Care Conference, Townsville – April 2014
• Keynote Speaker – 18th National Australian College of Midwives Conference – Hobart – Sept/Oct 2013 – (Perinatal Dreaming Installation)
• Presented Perinatal Dreaming at “Reimagining Birth” International Research Symposium Humanities Institute, UCD – 2013
• Presented Perinatal Dreaming workshop at 17th National Australian College of Midwives Conference, Technology Park, Redfern, Sydney; Octobe18th-21st 2011
• Perinatal Dreaming Presentation at Giger’s Castle, Gruyere, Switzerland, Sept 2010
• Tightrope Honours Graduating Exhibition, “Perinatal Dreaming Instillation”.
• Unfolding Fine Art and Contemporary Australian Indigenous Art Honours, midyear exhibition, 26th -6th June, 2008.
• Coolamon – carrying the culture. Brisbane City Library.
• Dreaming of my Country, 2007, screenprint 50 x 35 cm. Selected for the Thiess Art Prize.
• Emergence Contemporary Australian Indigenous Art 10th -17th November 2007.
• “The Dance of the Mimi Spirits, Intellectual Dreaming”, a bookmark created from Griffith University Open Day competition.
Exhibiting Galleries
List Galleries work shown in
• Mater Mothers, Making Memories Exhibition, foyer and other floors
• St Vincent’s Hospital NAIDOC 2017 & 2018
• White Box Gallery – QCA,
• The Project Gallery QCA
• Dell Gallery QCA
• Webb Gallery QCA
• Machinery Galleries QCA
• CAIA Gallery QCA
• Impress Gallery and Studio Wooloowin
• QLD State Library – kuril dhagun
• Giger’s Castle and bar in Gruyere, Switzerland
Other
Chosen as Indigenous Representative – 16 delegates elected to QLD Creative Arts in Health Leadership Team – leadership role in establishing Arts in Health initiatives at a National level. One of 5 QLD’s chosen to represent and present at the first National Summit. Participated in writing QLD draft for Indigenous inclusion in National paper. 2016 – ongoing as the QLD Arts/Health Network.