Esme Timbery and Marilyn Russell: Through their hands

Through their hands

Featuring works on loan from major collections, explore Australia through the mother-daughter duo's hands with intricate shell sculptures, using shells gathered by hand from beaches along Sydney's coast.

Esme Timbery and Marilyn Russell

The exhibition celebrates the life and work of renowned La Perouse and Bidjigal shell artists Esme Timbery (1931-2023) and her daughter, Marilyn Russell (1952-2026), whose masterful shellwork objects combine familiar forms with rich textures, ornate decoration and bright, cheerful colours.

Shellwork has been passed down through generations of Aboriginal women in the Timbery family, connecting Esme and Marilyn to their ancestors and cultural heritage. The tradition extends back to Queen Emma Timbery, Esme's great-grandmother and Marilyn's great-great-grandmother, and reflects a family legacy of creativity, cultural knowledge and connection.

Both artists made their intricate shellwork from shells gathered by hand along the beaches of Sydney and the South Coast. Their work honours the matrilineal traditions of their family and the La Perouse community, and reflects a deep connection to the ancestral waters of Kamay Botany Bay.

Kamay Botany Bay has long connected La Perouse to the Sutherland Shire, with Kurnell facing La Perouse from across the water. The Timbery family has longstanding connections to La Perouse, Kurnell and the beaches of the Shire. These connections to Country, family and coastline are an important part of the cultural heritage celebrated in the exhibition, bringing this shared history to Hazelhurst's doorstep.

Small-scale objects such as shellworked slippers and jewellery boxes sit alongside tributes to iconic Sydney landmarks including the Harbour Bridge, Opera House and Centrepoint Tower, works that speak to specific histories, places and lived experience.

The exhibition also features works by other members of the Timbery family, including Rose Timbery, Laddie Timbery, Jeff Timbery and Steven Russell, all proud descendants of Hubert Timbery. Together, their works celebrate the family's artistic traditions and continuing connection to Country, and the importance of keeping culture strong for future generations.

Through their hands: Esme Timbery & Marilyn Russell was developed with the support of the La Perouse Museum and the artists' families, and builds on earlier Hazelhurst exhibitions including Wuliwulawala: Dharawal Women Sharing Stories (2021) and RocoColonial (2019).

The exhibition features works from the collections of renowned institutions including the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Bundanon Art Museum, Jervis Bay Maritime Museum & Gallery, La Perouse Museum, Na Ngara Collection of Sydney Boys High, National Museum of Australia, National Gallery of Australia, N. Smith Gallery, Parliament of New South Wales, Powerhouse Museum, University of Wollongong, University of New South Wales and Wollongong Art Gallery.

28 November 2026 to 24 January 2027
Hazelhurst Arts Centre, 782 Kingsway, Gymea
10 am to 4 pm daily