My creative practice takes place on the lands of the Boonwurrung and Wurundjeri Woiwurrung peoples of the Kulin Nation. I pay my respects to their Elders past and present, their ancestors and families, acknowledging their deep and ongoing spiritual connection to Country. I extend my respects to Wathaurong Waddawurrung peoples, whose lands I was birthed and raised upon that have deeply shaped me and my experiences.

I acknowledge Boonwurrung and Wurundjeri custodianship of the lands, waterways and skies that I continue to live, work and benefit from, recognising that sovereignty was never ceded. I come with an intention to deepen my understanding of ancestral pathways as a diasporic being, while sharing, learning and creating on unceded lands (Melbourne, Australia).

I extend this acknowledgement and pay my respects to peer African and Indigenous peoples across the globe viewing this website.

Lunch with the family at Mignon Street, Cape Town

Audio-video installation with headphones, flatscreen monitor, single channel high definition video and fabricated seating, duration 36:33 mins.

This work presents the artist sharing a meal with her Elders, reflecting upon their experiences of growing up in South Africa during the Apartheid regime. Memories of District Six are shared; an area they once lived and frequented, that was subsequently bulldozed as part of the Group Areas Act (1950). District Six is one of many places in South Africa that experienced forced removals at the hands of the National Party and Apartheid legislation that forced people to live in certain areas based on their race.

Lunch with the family at Mignon Street, Cape Town was exhibited in The Purple Shall Govern solo exhibitions at Footscray Community Arts in 2022 and the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts in 2023.

Close-up of a flatscreen lying face-up on a dark wood floor, tilted slightly toward the viewer. The screen shows the title "Golden Brown." with a running timecode of 00:27:33 and the subtitle "But we all used to get the same colour paint." Magenta-purple light from a window reflects across the screen.
Three white curved benches, each holding a pair of black headphones, arc around a flatscreen lying tilted on the floor in a room saturated with magenta-purple light. Headphone cables trail across the dark reflective floor toward the screen.
Abstract detail of the installation: the corner of the floor-mounted screen enters from the top left, reflecting a pink and purple-lit window grid, while a soft pool of magenta light spreads across the dark wooden, glossy floor.

Roberta Joy Rich, Lunch with the Family at Mignon Street, Cape Town, Footscray Community Arts, 2022. Photo's by Jody Haines.

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Roberta Joy Rich, Lunch with the Family at Mignon Street, Cape Town, Footscray Community Arts, 2022. Photo by Gianna Rizzo.

Overhead view of the video installation: three curved white benches with headphones encircle a flatscreen lying on the floor, its subtitle reading "And build flats and houses for the 'White' people." The whole room — walls, floor and benches — is bathed in violet-pink light.
Wide view of the installation space, a high-ceilinged gallery with two sets of tall narrow windows glowing purple through coloured filters. In the far corner, three white curved benches with headphones are bathed in the purple light and surround the flatscreen lying flat on the dark floor appears small within the large purple-washed room.

Roberta Joy Rich, Lunch with the family at Mignon Street, Cape Town, Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts, 2023. Photo by Dan McCabe.