Beechworth Contemporary Art Space welcomes artist Glennys Briggs

The duo has launched After the Fact - a body of work that invites viewers on a visual journey into Briggs' own family history - at Beechworth Contemporary Art Space.

A Taungwurung-Yorta Yorta woman, who was raised by her grandparents and extended family at the Cummeragunja Reserve in New South Wales, Briggs has spent a lot of time doing cultural research into her family line.

"There's always a touch of me in all these different prints," she said.

"All these stories that I research or know of verbally from my great-grandmother ... I use to make my artworks."

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Beechworth Contemporary Art Space owner and the exhibition curator Nina Machielse Hunt said they wanted to educate the broader community and have conversations in "the best way possible".

"Arts is a vehicle for that," she said.

Briggs said telling her story using a wide scope of artworks is "very much continuing".

"(My great-grandmother) says when they were on Cummeragunja, she wasn't allowed to speak her language," she said.

"The manager would hear and you would get into trouble. (My great- grandmother) wouldn't teach my mother because she might get into trouble for speaking it."

Briggs, who has held exhibitions in Australia's major cities and internationally, was initially "a bit hesitant" about bringing her work into a small country town.

"But, I think it's time, because (Nina and I) both live (locally) now, this is our community," she said.

Briggs communicates messages by combining text and symbolism using different materials, such as the skin of native possums, as well as famous historical images.

Ms Machielse Hunt said she created exhibitions for artists who worked within a wide scope, and used materials that were "not necessarily traditional".

"I wanted to offer ... a platform where we can have discussions that are important," Machielse Hunt said.

After the Fact is open Thursday to Sunday, 10am-5pm until March 7.

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