Vernon Ah Kee

Vernon Ah Kee, What Is An Aborigine, 2008 (detail), installation of 12 paintings at Cockatoo Island for the 16th Biennale of Sydney

I saw some of Vernon Ah Kee big portraits in week 8 lecture and I really enjoyed them. I love his large scale drawing of his family, especially when I could see the process of his drawing through this video clip from Youtube. 

SoI 1

SoI 2

Richard Bell

From today tutorial discussion, there are some interesting points that stood out. Today discussion was based on the reading called 'Bell's Theorem: Aboriginal Art, it's a white thing' written by Richard Bell, an Urban-based artist whose theme of work are mostly associated with the political issues. One thing that we sense from his statement is the anger. Bell is considered as enfant terrible, his works often confronting viewer using text and images. We weren't certain of the current theme that he associates with, however by just basing on this article which was written in 2002 Bell seemed to be expressing his resentment through the article as he showed some of diagrams which used to emphasis the exploitation where supposedly 'white' people gain benefit more than the artists themselves. We found that expressing anger and resentment is exceptional at a certain level in order to get the messge across, but for him to carry on the resentment, keep on reminding the negative aspects and not stepping forward is not the best strategies to solve the exist problems.

Richard Bell work in relation to his article:


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

Resembling Pollock's style of painting.

Richard Bell

Jake Dale c.1922

Jack and Biddy Dale, Wandjina 2004, courtesy Aboriginal Art Online.

Referred to as the ‘Grand Old Man of the Kimberley’, tribal elder Jack Dale is highly respected as both a custodian of ceremonial ‘Law’ and for his skill as a bushman. 

In his late 70’s Dale started exploring historical themes in his art. Incidents that he had personally experienced or witnessed and later depicted in his art included hiding as police patrols forcibly took Aboriginal children from their families, watching chain gangs of Aboriginal men being marched away by white men on horseback, and the arrival of the Afghan camel drivers. Jack Dale’s most compelling works focus on the Wandjina and other important spirit beings that created the land and instituted the laws that govern human behaviour amongst his own people.  

For more review:

Top 200 Australian Aboriginal Artists

Interesting Websites

Some great websites which providing variety of artists' backgrounds and news on Aboriginal art this includes

Aboriginal Art Coop Gallery. - lots of artworks, Top Australian Aboriginal Artist Review
Aboriginal Art News - Articals, news, media press, blog, newspapers
Creative Spirits - General information on Aboriginal culture and arts in different regions
Aboriginal Art Store - not only an online Aboriginal Art store but a central of culture infromation as well as the news and media press forum

Region Styles

3 Distinctive designs

• The Desert 
• Kimberley
• Arnhem Land 

The Desert 

• dots and circles 
• wide pallet, acrylic 

Shorty Lungkarta Tjungurrayi (Pintupi, 1920-1987), Mystery Sand Mosaic, 1974. Synthetic polymer paint on canvas board.

Bush Bean Dreaming, William Sandy, 2003,

Source of image 1 

SoI 2

Kimberley

• structural, block colours
• restricted pallet, natural colours 

Rover Thomas, Nilah Marudji (Rover’s Country), Courtesy Coo-ee Aboriginal Art, 1996

Rover Thomas

 SoI 3
 SoI 4

Arnhem Land

• Diagonal shapes 
• crosshatching 
• natural pigments
• animals and characters with skeleton like 

Arnhem Land aboriginal artists are also famous for their weaving made of bark, hairstring and grasses as well as spectacular sculptures.

 
SoI 5,6,7

For more information on Aboriginal painting

Facts

1888 - Aboriginal art was considered as fine arts, not just the evident of anthropology

The Sublingual Museum

Stephanie Radok the curator of this exhibition has carefully selected works from Flinders University art collection exhibiting alongside with her own creation of work which she has been practicing over three decades. Like the title Radok intention is to portray the unspoken primitive approach to everyday life object/subject that lying underneath each work when being displayed to compare the relation with works. Here's link to Media Press.

Stephanie Radok with her works

one of Radok's plant paintings in the Sublingual Mesuem exhibition 

Plaster cast book by Radok

One of my favourite works from this exhibition is the plaster cast book series which I'm not so sure of the title. However the meaning behind it is what really caught my attention. Radok used Plaster cast book to represent the idea of unreadable - to establish the fact that westerner could never fully fathom the Indigenous culture as it is such a diverse culture.

Quotes

We don't own the land, the land owns us. The land is my mother, my mother is the land. Land is the starting point to where it all began. It's like picking up a piece of dirt and saying this is where I started and this is where I'll go. The land is our food, our culture, our spirit and identity.—S. Knight

I found this quote from Creative Spirits website, this explains the intricate relationship between Indigenous people and their lands. How down to earth they are by containing/belief in such notion; and the fact that they actually continue to nurturing their surroundings is extraordinary.

Aboriginal spirituality is the belief that all objects are living and share the same soul or spirit that Aboriginals share.—Eddie Kneebone, Aboriginal Reconciliation campaigner and painter

The belief in spirituality is similar to Buddhism belief, the quote suggests that Indigenous people also believe in reincarnation.

   

Indigenous art

Indigenous art practices come through a wide range of mediums and methods. Almost every possible daily activities could be considered as the practices as there are so meaningful and well thought through that dreaming and dreamtime are reflecting constantly onto their normal everyday life. It is the rich history that activated the motions and styles within Aboriginal work of art. Art forms has been used as a vehicle carrying stories from generation to generation; these forms of art come in various style ie.

• Painting on canvas, bark painting, body painting
• Wood craving
• Batik 
• Wearable art, jewellery
• Performance, signing, dancing 
• Ceremony

Traditional arts

• rock painting 
• cave painting
• bark painting 
• decorative art on tools and ceremony items 
• traditional weaving
• body painting - on women at ceremony
• sand painting - important for storytelling

Spirituality

Landscape culture is the significant element which holds value in Aboriginal art and culture. It is the land that Aboriginal people believe to be the place of ancestor and has formed strong relationship. Painting is not only considered as the record of ancestral dreamtimes but it also acts as one of the method Aboriginal people use to pay respect to their ancestor and land. By practicing dreamtime art, it has in a way strengthen Aboriginal belief system and their heritages.

• Forest spirits - from watching the Art+Soul documentary from the 2nd week lecture,

When these indigenous men were singing to the land spirits, asking for the permission to entry the land to visit this ancient rock art site. The ritual of communicating to the spirits of mother earth among aboriginal people reminded me of the similarity in what we do in Buddhism. Buddhist mostly pay respect to spirits through our inner thoughts and minds rather than physical practices ie. singing or dancing. Although the methods of communicating are different between Indigenous and Buddhism but the intentions are strongly equivalent.    

Aboriginal people express spirituality include:

• ceremony 
• rituals
• totems, symbols 
• paintings
• storytelling
• dance 
• songs 
• dreamings
• designs