Taripang / Dharripa / Trepang: REMIX

Taripang / Dharripa / Trepang: REMIX contributes to a broader truth-telling of Australia’s rich pre-colonial history and its northern trade routes, used to harvest the lucrative commodity of Holothuroidea (sea cucumbers)—a class of animals widely known in Australia’s north and the Indonesian archipelago as dharripa, trepang or taripang—which are found in abundance in the shallow seabeds of the region.

The trepang trade route brought together the Makassans—a broad and multi-cultural group of Indonesian seafarers—and Australian First Nations peoples from the north. One ocean current took fleets to Arnhem Land and the Gulf of Carpentaria and another brought others to Australia’s western shores and the Kimberley region. In these lands and waters occupied by Aboriginal nations, the two groups entered into a series of reciprocal negotiations for the right to collect and process trepang, a relationship that spanned several centuries.

Taripang / Dharripa / Trepang premiered at the Northern Centre for Contemporary Art (NCCA) in Garramilla / Darwin in 2024. This remixed version brings this remarkable exhibition to Sydney to continue sharing the essential history of the trepang and ensure its contemporary resonance.

In proud collaboration with the Northern Centre for Contemporary Art (NCCA), Darwin

Curated by Petrit Abazi

With thanks to the Batchelor Institute Art Collection