First Nations Artist’s Century-Old Piano Takes Centre Stage in Brisbane
By The Queenslander staff
During the weekend, a 117-year-old piano, beautifully hand-painted by Cairns First Nations artist Susan Reys, became the focal point of a Queensland Symphony Orchestra (QSO) Connect ensemble performance in Brisbane.
This Australian-made Beale piano, discovered at a Cairns auction in 2021, was transformed by Ms. Reys into a canvas with 11 cultural stories titled, “It’s Time To Listen, Let Me Tell You Another Story.” Previously exhibited at the Cairns Indigenous Art Fair (CIAF), it was later purchased by QPAC.
A fortuitous meeting in 2022 at Ms. Reys’ gallery, K’gari 3 Sisters, led QSO musician Craig Allister Young to appreciate the piano’s ongoing artwork. This inspired collaborative workshops involving students from several schools, who composed pieces inspired by Ms. Reys’ stories. The culmination was the Brisbane performance which Ms. Reys attended.
“Right from the beginning, my vision and purpose for this project was about sharing our stories and culture… And now, being able to translate our stories and culture into the universal language of music is beyond what I could have envisioned,” Ms Reys said.
Her piano and other artworks highlighted CIAF’s 2023 “Weaving our Future: Claiming our Sovereignty” exhibition. The event saw numerous significant acquisitions, including Susan Reys’ piano by QPAC.
Francoise Lane, CIAF’s Artistic Director, noted, “Empirically, there is nothing more convincing than this artist’s experience for an event like CIAF which is a platform for storytelling, knowledge sharing and influencing change.”
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