Thursday 27th October

Conclusion

Throughout my life I have always been blessed to live a culturally rich life that has been enhanced and influenced by many different influences. I have always been of the strong belief that ignorance breads misunderstanding and is the key ingredient that breads fear, which in turn breads racism and discrimination. Although I consider myself as open-minded, sadly I have not been as proactive in my own education in relation to Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander cultures and history. This course in Indigenous Art, Culture and Design has opened my eyes to a whole world of information I was ignorant to and helped me to think more critically about my responses and more actively research our great countries history. If we stop and think about basic human nature, generally as human beings we are all afraid of the unknown and I did not truly appreciate how little I knew about our Indigenous culture and that to some extent I had some preconceived ideas of Aboriginal people. I had no idea of the diversity of the various Aboriginal societies across Australia and how they vary greatly, yet still share similar social structures and have systems in place that govern life and influence their experience and clarify their place in the universe. The more I have come to understand about Aboriginal culture the greater my understanding of the community spirit that governs its people and the deeper my realization of how deeply their art is rooted in not only Indigenous history, but everyday contemporary Aboriginal life.

Undeniably it is important to know where we are going and have direction for the future, not only as individuals, but also society as a whole. However, I have learnt it is no less important to know where we have been and from where we have come. Therefore gaining a greater knowledge and understanding of our cultural heritage, our history, is imperative in order to understand our success and failures as a nation, so as not to make the same mistakes in the future. In conclusion, education fosters understanding which inturn supports a true understanding that if we can embrace the belief in change and evolution, let go of our mistakes and the emotional issues of our past, then there is light at the end of the tunnel. In my opinion, it is as much about letting go of our painful history, but without forgetting the important lessons we have learned so that as a society and a cultural whole we can triumph and overcome adversity in order to move forward together in a better direction for a brighter tomorrow.

Saturday 15th October



The Yuendumu School Doors

The South Australian Museum proudly boasts that it contains the most significant collection of Australian Aboriginal material in the world and is intensely involved in and committed to further study and interpretation of various Indigenous cultures along with continuing to build and display the collections of Indigenous cultures of Australasia.

I recently decided to attend the South Australian Museum to re-discover the newly reopened gallery after not having visited in many years. During my visit to the Museum I took time to attend The Australian Aboriginal Cultures Gallery which derives a great deal from the museums extensive collections which demonstrates innovative and creative ways to survive in one of the most harsh inhabited environments in the world. The gallery is filled with items from various communities around Australia.  It was extremely interesting to explore the remarkable wealth of bark paintings, shields, boomerangs, maps, photographs and the return of the magnificent Yuendumu School Doors which are currently on display which represent one of the first examples of Aboriginal artists who have been able to successfully transfer their ancient cultural tradition of ground paintings to a large scale contemporary medium. Additionally I discovered the Ernabella Arts Exhibition and a weaving workshop which was a delight and very educational and have decided to revisit with my children.

Wednesday 21st September

Tracey Moffatt, from Something more, 1989

Continuing on the theme from my last post, when referring to artists from an Indigenous background do we need to advertise this information by labeling them as Urban Aboriginal artists? Tracey Moffatt was initially part of the Boomalli Aboriginal Artists’ Cooperative and deciding she did not want to be identified purely as an Aboriginal artist, but as an artist in her own rite, moved away from the group to be an independent artist which was a somewhat revolutionary approach. Consequently she did not apply for funding or grants that are available to Aboriginal artists and stopped exhibiting in group exhibitions with other indigenous artists.

Moffatt’s images are carefully crafted, if not meticulously constructed whether discussing her photographs, which have the appearance of a still-shot from a film with a painterly affect which she creates using various film effects, or her filmic ventures. Her images do not claim to be a recreation of reality, but a true measure of artisty. Regardless, Moffatt is nothing less than brilliant and a true pioneer of this type of photography and filmic technique and her images are an authentic representation of a timeless contemporary practice.

As an photographic artist who is interested in using text with images, I particularly like the Scarred for Life series, which presents a series of seemingly ordinary images that are supported with meaningful text which are all based on real life stories told to her by friends. So of the childhood narratives are funny, some boarder on uncomfortable, whilst others are tragic. The stories are universal and there is something about the ordinary everyday appeal to which everyone can relate.

Friday 16th September



Richard Bell – E. Metaphysica Bell’s Theorem (Aboriginal Art It’s a White Thing), 2003

 Historically when most of us, myself included, ponder the appearance of Indigenous art it is the traditional dot paintings, crosshatching or ochre on bark that would usually formulate in our minds. However, contemporary Indigenous art is clearly taking a new direction and being approached with as much diversity as the Indigenous culture and the artists creating the works. Some of the of urban Indigenous artists at the forefront of this movement are the likes of Tracey Moffatt, Sally Morgan, Judy Watson, Destiny Deacon, Vernon Ah Kee and the controversial Richard Bell to mention just a few. However, it would appear that much of the evolution within the Indigenous art movement is due to the many Indigenous artists of the latest generation that are emerging from an educational based background within the arts. Consequently, I believe the appearance and style of much of the traditional Indigenous arts are changing and evolving into a new era of cultural expression and therefore making it more accessible to the general public.

The evolution of Urban Aboriginal art began through the 1960 and has advanced at the same time as the phenomenal growth of more traditional Aboriginal art pursuits in the more remote areas. Urban Aboriginal artists have forged ahead using this art as a powerful forum for political expression and social commentary experimenting with various methods of expression from drawing, painting, printmaking and digital mediums such as photography and video. However, the journey for many Urban Aboriginal artists has been a battle against the typical stereotyping of what traditionally constitutes as Aboriginal art that is considered more authentic. It would be unfortunate if the strong attraction to traditional Aboriginal artworks detracted from the positive reception of contemporary Aboriginal artists who in their own right are authentic even use a less traditional approach or different media.

In lecture and tutorials on Wednesday14th September an interesting topic was raised..."What does it mean to be an Urban Aboriginal Artist?" Is this label loaded with its own connotations? Does it imply the creators of this type of art only come from the city, or that they are not bush people, or perhaps that the artists are not fully aboriginal and not producing authentic aboriginal art? Does it raise more questions than answers, create more labels and magnify the separation between white Australians and those of an Indigenous background, whether traditional or contemporary. As individuals and a nation who are desperately trying to reconcile our history and future directions, when referring to a modern art movement wouldn’t we be better to use an all encompassing phrase that is more inclusive of all modern Australian artists, such as "Contemporary Australian Art"? If we remove the labels….what do we have left? Just Art!

Wednesday 14th September

Flinders University - Art Museum & City Gallery is an accessible visual arts based cultural facility that serves the University and the community at large through exhibition, research and outreach.



Throughout the history of Australian Art our connection and engagement to the landscape has been a vital component of our national identity. The Spirit in the Land exhibition which was developed by McClelland Gallery+Sculpture Park, has brought together eleven Australian artists to explore this spiritual connection revealing shared subject matter and cultural connections. The exhibition delves into the power of the land and our appreciation of it through contemporary and historical works presented by some of Australia’s most significant artists, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous, such as: Fred Williams, Rover Thomas, Sidney Nolan, Lorraine Connelly-Northey, John Davis, Russell Drysdale, John Olsen, Rosalie Gascoigne, Emily Kame Kngwarreye, Dorothy Napangardi, Lin Onus. 
 

Russell Drysdale - The crow trap 1941
oil on fibro-cement panel
Newcastle Region Art Gallery
Gift of Dr Roland Pope, 1945



Beck Graeber and I attended the Flinders Gallery in the South Australian Library today to survey the current exhibition, Spirit in the Land. We were both particularly fond of the works of Dorothy Napangardi, in particular the Sandhills of Mina Mina, 2000. The muted earthy colours within the works added to their organic allure and had the impression of real depth and movement reminiscent of the landscape she was representing. Her paintings had a real aesthetic appeal and were pleasing to the eye. Additionally I was very drawn to the more contemporary works of Lin Onus whose style is reminicent of European contemporary painting, yet with a magnificent combination of the cross-hatching style for which Arnhem Land is famous. 

Tuesday 6th September



Yolngu Boy

Yolngu Boy, which was released on 15 March 2001 and directed by Stephen Johnson is a film about three young teenage boys who have shared a dream since childhood of becoming great hunters. However it seems they are caught between the traditions of old and a new world of football and rap with a definite need for street smarts, which gives rise to a doctrine all its own. The dreams seems ever elusive as each of the boys seems to be drawn in opposite directions; one boy seems more interested in football and girls than he is of learning the traditions of his culture, while another is a lost soul who is walking a fine line to the wild side in search of a place. Their paths are deviating from their initial plan, but only one of the boys can see it and now seems to be the only one to care about their dream. Essentially it is a heartfelt film that delves into the concept of each individual needing to find their own path and their own personal journey along with exploring the important bonds of their friendship. It was an enjoyable film that can be appreciated by anyone who has ever had to make choices and treasured friendships.

Wednesday 31st August



Nana - Bit of Black Business DVD


Bit of Black Business is a DVD with a collection of a series of short films which are written and or directed by various Aboriginal artists. The narratives ranged from more serious content such as the heartache of being ripped away from family and the emotional experience endured right  through to extremely humourous stories that explored the lighter side of life and the human condition without a specific focus on the subject Aboriginality. Regardless of the content of each story, whether humorous or those on a more serious note, there was always a moral to the story which is often seems to be the case.

Nana would clearly be one of my favourites and is an endearing documentary style film from a childs perspective and reveals a young child discussing her relationship with her grandmother and describes how the old woman cares for her and their family, along with the community. The story is delivered with a real sensibility that marks a clear sign of respect held by the child toward her grandmother and subtly sings the real-life praises of such aboriginal women and their influence on Indigenous communities. Director Warwick Thornton has a distinctive and refreshing approach to writting and directing which is delivered with a real humour, warmth and genuine compassion that in my opinion is appealing to a wide audience. I have greatly enjoyed all of the films he has directed.