My Country, I Still Call Australia Home
When I moved home from Melbourne late last year my flatmate gave me a QAGOMA membership as my going away present (she knows me well!). In honour of her impending visit this weekend I thought I'd feature a little bit about the current main attraction at GOMA My Country, I Still Call Australia Home: Contemporary Art from Black Australia.
Christian Thompson, QLD / NSW / VIC b1978, Bidjarra / Kunja people, Black Gum 2 (from 'Australian Graffiti' series), 2008. Type C photograph. Purchased 2008 with funds from The Queensland Art Gallery Foundation. Collection: Queensland Art Gallery
Ron Yunkaporta, QLD b. 1956, Wik-Ngathan people, Thuuth thaa'munth (Law Poles) 2002-03. Cottontree wood (Hibiscus tiliaceus), ibis feathers, bush string with natural pigments. Commissioned 2002 with funds from the Queensland Art Gallery Foundation. Collection: Queensland Art Gallery
Michael Cook, QLD b. 1968, Bidjara people, Civilised #13, 2012. Inkjet print on paper, ed. 5/8. Purchased 2012 with funds from The Queensland Art Gallery Foundation. Collection: Queensland Art Gallery
Bindi Cole, VIC b. 1975, Wathaurang people, I Forgive You, 2012. Emu feathers on MDF board. Purchased 2012 with funds from the Queensland Art Gallery Foundation. Collection: Queensland Art Gallery
This 300 artwork strong exhibition is the largest to date of contemporary Indigenous Australian art at the gallery + many artists from each of the states + territories are represented. All the works in the exhibition have been drawn from the gallery's extensive collection along with two new site specific works that have been commissioned to mark the occasion + an interactive project for children created by Brisbane-based artist Gordon Hookey.
Many of the artworks have been shown in previous exhibitions + I'm excited to see some of my favourites hung en masse. I found the work below by Mirdidingkingathi Juwarnda Sally Gabori mesmerising when I first saw it in 2008. Unfortunately digital media doesn't do it any justice - I highly recommend seeing it in person.
I also spent quite a bit of time researching Christian Thompson after seeing his series of photographs (one of which is shown above) in the Culture Warriors exhibition back in 2009. Much to my dismay I discovered that his work was well beyond my graduate designer means!
The exhibition is curated across three key themes: My history, My Life and My Country + the works tackle some tricky political issues whilst also drawing on the amazing sense of communal memory, story telling + connection with the land inherent in traditional Aboriginal art practice.
My Country, I Still Call Australia Home: Contemporary Art from Black Austraila
GoMA
Exhibition runs until October 7, 2013
Free Entry
As an aside, last night by a serendipitous twist of fate, I was lucky enough to have a chat to QAGOMA's Assistant Director Simon Wright who informed me that QAGOMA is the 2nd most visited gallery in Australia! Even more impressive than that, it is the 31st most visited gallery in the world! Go team!!!
Mirdidingkingathi Jurwarnda Sally Gabori, QLD b.c. 1924, Kaiadilt people, Dibirdibi Country, 2008. Synthetic polymer paint on linen. Purchased 2008 with funds from Margaret Mittleheuser, AM, and Cathryn Mittelheuser, AM, through the Queensland Art Gallery Foundation. Collection: Queensland Art Gallery