Artworks will be available to be collected or shipped from Koorie Heritage Trust from Tuesday 24 February 2026 once the exhibition has closed. See our FAQ for more info.

Aaron Heffernan, Barkindji
Home Bound, 2025
synthetic polymer paint on canvas
50 x 50 x 2.9 cm

This piece is a visual journey told through three circles, each burning with its own truth. The dominant red speaks to the intensity of life, pain, passion, bloodline. It’s the colour of survival and spirit. Scattered across the canvas are blue, yellow and white dots, representing moments, memories, and the people who walked beside me or watched from afar.

The first circle is the past. It holds the weight of addiction, disconnection, and the struggle to find identity in a world that often forgets where we come from. It’s raw, chaotic, and full of lessons carved into my story.

The second is the present. It’s quieter, steadier. It marks 21 months of clarity, choosing healing over harm. It’s the space where I now sit, reflecting, rebuilding, and reconnecting with my culture, my strength, and my sense of self. The third circle is the future. It’s filled with hope. It points me toward home, toward my children, my mob, and the life I’m walking toward with open hands. It’s not perfect, but it’s mine. That’s
the beauty of it. It is sacred.

This artwork is more than paint, it’s a declaration: I am still here. I am still becoming.