Week 10: Tutorial

This weeks reading was Brenda L. Croft - A gift to the world: the Australian Indigenous Art Commission at theMusee du quai Branly. I found it a little difficult due to most of it being in a different language.

In her article Brenda Croft describes the Branly commission as setting  “...a benchmark for cross-cultural collaboration” in creating public art and building design that recognises and celebrates  Australian Indigenous culture. Given the furore that erupted over the Wandjina sculpture at Katoomba and the debate over authenticity in Aboriginal art, there are clearly problems with non-Indigenous people creating Aboriginal themed work.

Our tutorial question was: 'If Australia is to embrace its Indigenous cultures and reflect this in public art and architecture, how can this quandary be overcome?'

Overall our group came up with a simple answer which was cross cultural collaboration.

Reference: Croft, B 2006, 'A gift to the world: the Australian Indigenous Art Commission at theMusee du quai Branly', 'Australian Indigenous Art Commission = commande publique d'art aborigene : Musee du quai Branly', pp.18-21. 

Week 9 Tutorial

Discussed the article by Brenda L Croft, 'No need looking'.
The article was about the work of established and emerging Indigenous artists, it included a number whose careers soared nationally and internationally. While for others it was one of the few times their work was public;y exhibited. Aboriginal Artists galleries operated in a n umber of capital cities around the country.
The main statement was, 'If I was White The world would make more sense to me'.

One of my passions is photography so here are a few of the images I loved from this weeks reading.

This digital photograph was taken by Lisa Reihana Hine 2001.

I think this photo is extremely bold and breath taking. I love how she is just floating amongst the clouds as if she is dreaming, 'If I was White the world would make more sense to me'.

Michael Riley, cloud 2000, inkjet print on banner paper. Courtesy of Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Cooperative, Sydney.

This piece of Riley's most recent work has shifted from terra firma to other worldly locations including the paranormal. There are resonances of Sacrifice, in the dreamlike quality evoked by the seductive, digitally manipulated images of the Magritte-like bovine 'seraph' from the 'mission'. and the flight of the boomerang echoed in the wings of the plaster/marble/concrete angel, its face averted, back turned to the viewer, and, again, in the splayed wings of the blackbird, the eaglehawk or crow; and in the crucifix-like span of the native Galang-galang, or locusts' wings.

His work has been represented in Photographica Australis at ARCO, Madrid.

If I was White

I wouldn't be asked if I was
Fullblood, Half-caste, or part White.

This digital photograph was taken by Lisa Reihana, Mahuika 2001.
Again her work is very bold and the colours are strong. Not sure what the meaning behind it is but the photograph itself is visually interesting and captured my eye's attention.

Reference:
Croft, B, 'No need looking', week 9 reading, pp.24-29.
Images:
Reihana, L 2001, 'Hine', 'No need looking' pp. 24.
Reihana, L 2001, 'Mahuika', 'No need looking' pp. 27.
Riley, M 2000, 'Cloud', 'No need looking' pp. 26. 

Week 7: Tutorial

I enjoyed this tutorial extremely because there were two parts.

Part 1 was about the ‘Spirit In The Land’ exhibition held at the Flinders City Gallery in the State Library of South Australia on North Terrace. It featured a collection of work by some of Australia’s most famous painters. As I found out at the exhibition, The landscape has been an enduring subject in the history of Australia art and vital to the on-going formation of images of a national identity. Within this tradition Spirit in the Land explores the connection between eleven Australian artists, historical and contemporary, indigenous and non-indigenous, and their special appreciation and engagement to the spiritual ethos and power of the land.

Unearthing shared themes and cultural exchanges this exhibition brings together key paintings and sculptures by some of Australia’s most influential artists, Lorraine Connelly-Northey, John Davis, Russell Drysdale, Rosalie Gascoigne, Emily Kame Kngwarreye, Dorothy Napangardi, Sidney Nolan, John Olsen, Lin Onus, Rover Thomas and Fred Williams. Over 40 works were drawn from private, state and public gallery collections throughout Australia.

1.

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and 2. Russel Drysdale. In Class we discussed these two pieces and had to discuss what the exhibition said to us about the way we see the land? And had to make a list of words that sprang to our minds.
My list: hardworking, hot, dry, earthy, natural colours, warm colours, rhythms, tall, lanky, barren landscape, a sense of loneliness, isolation, stillness, yet more work to be done. It is continuously exciting these curious and strange rhythms. Which one discovers in a vast landscape the juxtaposition of figures; of objects all these things are exciting. 
What I found this exhibition showed me about the spirit in the land was I found the pieces illuminates Australia’s unique relationship with the land. It commonly represented, and a subject of nationhood, the land and its significance for the Australian artists, and presented in this exhibition, with historical, contemporary, indigenous and non-indigenous significance.
Part 2: Cannot Buy My Soul
This article by Brenda L Croft, curtator of Culture Warriors and former Senior Curator of Aboriginal and Torrens Strait Islander Art and the National Gallery of Australia, is instructive on the state of contemporary Indigenous Australian art in 2007 and maps the key issues facing the Aboriginal art movement then, many of which persist today. Brenda's replacement at the NGA, Franchesca Cubillo, is currently in the process of curating the second Triennial, which will be a major event in Australian art when it opens next year.
Our discussion topic was, 'What meaning do you read into the title of the first National Indigenous Art Triennial?'
My group thought it focuses on issues of nationalism, culture, history and citizenship and the debates that have surrounded such issues since the days of first contait in the late 1700s. Ambiguous ironic context: any and everyone can be a cultural warrior. The Triennial's title and the inception of the exhibition itself appear to be right on the money. (Pertinent when considering the prices of Indigenous art on the secondary market).
Despite obstacles inflicted upon them Triennial will continue to inspire, shock, seduce, confront, challenge and encourage us to stand up for what is fair.
Provincialism- civilising Europe- America and trying to understand them and not just live like them (complex). 
Colonial: measure, name, and conquer, past colonial, anti-humanism, immersed in the world, language.
Humanist: land/people, animal. 
Stereotypes: white.

Reference:

Croft, B 2007, Culture warriors : National Indigenous Art Triennial, 'Cannot buy my Soul', pp. 218.

About exhibition and Images taken: Spirit In The Land, Flinders City Gallery in the State Library of South Australia on North Terrace.  

Two pieces that stood out to me were 1. Rover Thomas (Joolama)