About the Artist Sean is a Gamilaroi man living on Wurundjeri Country. He explores his Gamilaroi heritage through ceramics, woodwork, painting, and photography. For Sean, working in clay and wood creates a tangible connection to Country, where his ancestors culturally and artistically shaped the ground and carved trees for ceremony. Sean's association with The Torch began in 2011 when he was an In-Prison participant in The Torch program. His interest in ceramics as an art practice was sparked while he was incarcerated in Loddon Prison. He first exhibited his ceramics in The Torch’s Confined 5 exhibition in 2013. After seeing Sean’s works in Confined 5, the National Gallery of Victoria commissioned him to make ceramic works for its showcase exhibition Melbourne Now in 2013-2014. Those works are now held in the NGV’s collection. Sean was one of seven finalists in the Shepparton Art Museum’s Indigenous Ceramic Awards in 2016. The works he submitted for the award were subsequently acquired by SAM. In 2020, Sean won the Emerging Artist Award at the Koorie Heritage Trust’s Koorie Art Show. In 2022 Sean won the South-East Australian Aboriginal Artist Award at the Shepparton Art Museum’s Indigenous Ceramic Awards and the NGV also acquired another of Sean’s ceramic artworks. In 2023 Sean was accepted into the Koorie Heritage Trust’s Blak Design course and exhibition in ceramics. Formally Projects Coordinator at The Torch, Sean played a key role supporting First Nations participants in community with art projects such as murals and public art. Having now stepped into a contractor role for The Torch, Sean continues to design the Confined catalogue for The Torch’s annual exhibition series. About the Artwork Flash of colour through the sky Birrubirruu swooping by Snatching insects in mid flight Perching to devour its delight Rainbow hues like magic Tail like a Clever Man’s stick Ancient lands amongst the trees Feeds on dragonflies, moths and bees Burrows a nest beneath the ground Many nations they are found Cold winter seasons migrate north Large distances travelled back and forth This is my story of the Birrubirruu A spiritual bird, this is true © Sean Miller 2024