What Food Remembers: Nadia Hernández explores the stories behind Melbourne’s markets, gardens and kitchens

Award-winning multidisciplinary artist Nadia Hernández (Venezuela/Australia) presents Walker Street Kitchen this summer, a new exhibition shaped by more than a year of research and developed in collaboration with market traders, growers, gardeners, chefs and community members across Greater Dandenong. Bringing together moving image, sound, textiles, sculpture and installation-based works, the exhibition explores food as a living archive of memory, cultural knowledge and belonging. Known for her socially engaged and collaborative practice, Hernández places community voices, lived experience and participation at the centre of the work.

Produced and presented by Greater Dandenong City Council and curated by Dr Miriam La Rosa, the exhibition runs from 9 December 2026 to 27 February 2027 at Walker Street Gallery and Arts Centre.

Developed through collaborations with traders from Dandenong Market, gardeners and makers from the Dandenong and Community Learning Centre, and chefs Tim Hollands, Yasmin Rahman and Frankie Hadid, Walker Street Kitchen brings together a three-channel video and sound installation, created with videographer Timothy Hillier and sound artist Lucreccia Quintanilla, alongside large-scale textile and sculptural works. Marking Hernández’s first work in moving image, the exhibition traces the people, practices and exchanges that shape food cultures across Greater Dandenong, extending her multidisciplinary practice in a significant new direction.

Community participation continues throughout the exhibition through an evolving recipe archive. Visitors are invited to contribute family recipes, food traditions and personal reflections, which will be incorporated into a collective installation within the gallery. Visitors can also take recipes shared by others, creating an exchange that reflects how food traditions and cultural practices are shared across families, communities and generations. Through these everyday acts of giving, sharing and collecting, the exhibition highlights how food connects people across cultures, generations and communities.

“Some of our most intimate histories are carried through food,” says Nadia Hernández. “A recipe, an ingredient or a shared meal can hold memories of people and places, and knowledge passed between generations. Through Walker Street Kitchen, I wanted to learn from the people who carry that knowledge and create a space where those stories could be shared.”

Curator Dr Miriam La Rosa says: “Walker Street Kitchen has grown from hundreds of conversations, exchanges and acts of generosity shared across Greater Dandenong. Community members, market traders, gardeners, growers and chefs have all contributed their knowledge, stories and food traditions to the project. Together, they reveal the extraordinary cultural richness of this community and the many ways food and art connect people across generations, cultures and places.”

Extending the exhibition beyond the gallery, a companion zine brings together participant experiences, contributions, photography and a new essay exploring the themes and development of Walker Street Kitchen. Designed by Hot Cottage and supported by Creative Victoria, the publication will be available for purchase throughout the exhibition.

OPENING EVENT