Week 12

Fiery Passions & Jason Wing


Today we read the extract from ‘Fiery Passions’, written by John McDonald, and were asked if urban indigenous artists have a right to express their anger at mainstream Australian society and if it help their cause. The reading was quite difficult, as John seemed to jump around a bit in topic. The article was generally about the topic of Aboriginals and their ‘need’ to produce work which comments on how hard it is to be a native in Australia and if they aren’t saying this, they 'aren’t proper aboriginals'. “If there are blackfelllas that aren’t angry then I’m suspicious of them” Ah Kee’s quote. The discussion in class was good and we all basically came to the same conclusion, that fighting racism with more racism isnt going to get anyone anywhere: The aboriginal people have a lot to complain and be angry about, in the way of what has happened to them as people in the past, but what happened, the laws and the attitudes of people have changed dramatically in the last 50 or so years. If they were producing this ‘angry’ art during that time it would have been fair enough, but there is no need for it now. Doing this just continues the issues and continues the separation between the people of Australia. There are more relevant issues nowadays, for Aboriginal and all Australians for that matter. Jason Wing, who currently has an exhibition at Tandanya, the national aboriginal cultural institute in Adelaide. His work, very subtly, reflects these opinions, but in a new and innovative way. His pieces remind us that drug and alcohol abuse are some of the most significant issues faced by contemporary Australia. He has installations of beds made from needles and spray cans (pictured below), demonstrating these issues which are a by-product of colonization, which the mainstream Australia often overlook, when examining the contemporary position of Aboriginal Australians. 

This also related back to the article, when other races are mentioned with Richard Bells quote “every new wave of boat people are slotted into Australian society over the blackfellas”. This is also interesting in relation to artist Jason Wing, because he is part Chinese and part Aboriignal, and seeing his views on this topic would be very interesting as an artist. He addresses issues of bi-cultural and indigenous political identity, by using both his heritages through his artwork, such as these Chinese and Aboriginal inspired pieces below. This piece comments on all of these issues, with the words ‘no exit’ and ‘go back’ within the figures.

Interesting Links:

• http://www.jasonwing.net/  (Jason Wing)
• http://www.tandanya.com.au/ (Tandanya, Adelaide)

Mid-Break (Part 2)

After Leaving Uluru, we did the huge 11 hour journey to Ceduna, staying again at Coober Pedy overnight to break it up. Stopping at Marla along the way, which is a tiny community and actually has an art gallery at the roadhouse, Mimili Maku Arts and Crafts (Pictured Below). There was a lot of hand painted canvases in this gallery, all the art from the near by the Anangu people in the community of Mimili.

When buying a piece of work, you receive a page of information on the artist and the Mimili Community, and what your money is going towards. It also informs you, The art centre takes it names from the maku or witchetty found in the roots of the witchetty bush. The coimmunitys Aboriginally-owned art business has grown in an old disused building, in this case a stone and cement homestead that actually housed some of the current artists when they were children. Mimili Maku Arts involves men and women, young and old people from the community and the four surrounding homelands of Perentie Bore, Wanmare, Blue Hills and Sandy’s Bore. They mainly use acrylic paint on linen or canvas. They also do craft in the art centre, such as making Spinifex baskets and carve artifacts and burn into wood, such as these three (pictured below). Mimili Maku Arts started in 2004 and has been successful ever since.

Arriving in Ceduna was a relief after such a big drive and being in my hometown is always good. Ceduna has a large Aboriginal community and also a large art community in general. There is two art galleries, one is owned by WestArt, which exhibits all the time and is open a few days a week, having special exhibitions around once a year, with a mixture of Aboriginal Art and Non-Aboriginal Art. The artwork is just Art, its not put into categories, such as Aboriginal Art, which i think is great. There shouldn't have to be title put on each piece, they should just be appreciated for what they are and the skill/story involved. While I was in town, i went to an art opening called 'Textures' which had a great range of work in it, all with different textures. The other art gallery, is the Ceduna Aboriginal Arts and Culture Centre (pictured below), which opened in 2001 and has a range of items, including textiles and clothing, fibre baskets, woodwork and artifacts, animal prodicts and jewellary. The business has encouraged Indiginous participation not only in Arts, but also in the operation of a small business. The Centre provides work placements for clients, and the artists have the opportunity to be introduced to and explore a variety of Art mediums through work placement in the Centre. The Centre gives the Indiginous artists as far as Oak Valley, Maralinga, Yalata, Koonibba and Ceduna somewhere to display and sell their art works, there by, creating indirect flowons into the Aboriginal communities. I go to each gallery everytime i go back, because there is always something new and different to be explored. 

This has opened up the dorrs for many Aboriginal Arts in Ceduna, such as now their pieces are hanging throughout the town in businesses, such as the as you walk into the local Foreshore Hotel, where there is artwork by local Aboriginal Artists for sale (pictured below). The featured piece is by Janine Grey, titled: "Bar-gu Wirnarn" translated to going hunting. The detail in this artwork was amazing, made of hundreds of dots and lines to represent the local animals which are hunted by the Aboriginal People. The piece reminds me of the sea for some reason, as if the desert was a sea with all the animals swimming around int he red sand.

I then came back to Adelaide. End of Mid-Break. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed myself, experiencing the 'real' Australia. Seeing the countries size and variety of landscape, learning some culture and history, and viewing Artwork, Aboriginal and Non-Aboriginal... And spending time with family.

Interesting Links:

• http://www.anangukuarts.com.au/ (Mimili Maku Arts and Crafts)
• http://www.ceduna.net/site/page.cfm (Ceduna)

Mid-Break (Part 1)

Mid-Break Part 1

For the last few years I have been begging my parents to go to Uluru, so that I can tag along on a last family vacation before I get too old. So over the mid-break a friend and I drove for two days to Uluru with my family, stopping at Port Augusta and Coober Pedy overnight on the way and again at Coober Pedy on the way back, then on to Ceduna, where my family are from for a weeks. I thought id add this into my blog, because I got to have a first hand experience in seeing the giant rock which is in the middle of large controversy over people climbing the sacred area, claimed by the local aboriginal people. And along the way I also got to see a couple of art and craft galleries of the local community.

From Port Augusta, 5 or so hours later we reached Coober Pedy, which has a population of around 3,500 and is the opal capital of the world. This was the first time I had been to Coober Pedy and it was very ‘unique’, because of its remoteness and the times of underground structures and houses they had. While there we visited some underground opal shops and galleries and also some of the churches, which there seemed to be a lot of. We also visited a Aboriginal Art gallery which also was the home of orphaned kangaroos of the area, Josephine’s Gallery & Kangaroo Orphanage. This gallery is the largest regional Aboriginal Art Galery and had a wide selection of Aboriginal artists and types of work, from fine art to original hand painted bookmarks (inside gallery, pictured below). There was also didgeridoos for people to play and other craft objects to buy and lets not forget the fact that you could get up close and personal with baby kangaroos. They also have a few strange gift ideas in the shop, such as ‘roo poo’ for $6.99. They also touched lightly on the aboriginal culture of the town and surrounding area.

Tommy Crow, an Aboriginal artist from Alice Springs, really stood out to me. His paintings were a series of stunning landscapes themed ‘Sunset dreaming’ in a uniquely contemporary style. He is a self-taught artist who was inspired by other indigenous artists who he had met travelling and after he says that “the spirit came to me or something like that, and I just went out to my studio and put it down on canvas”. (Below) was a favourite for me, I love how the strong warm colours behind contrasts so well with the silhouettes, forcing them to jump out and come alive. There is also so much movement in the piece through the stance of the people and animals and with one glance you can see that he is portraying the Australian Outback in its most Cultural and traditional sense.

Next we did the big 8 or so hour drive to Uluru, counting dead animals to keep us amused. Uluru is located in the Kata Tjuta National Park which is located on Anangu Land, who have actively managed the ancient land using traditional practices and knowledge passed down through Tjukurpa, the foundation of all Anangu knowledge. Getting there just in time, we went immediately to view Uluru through the lighting of the sunset. Viewing the rock was amazing, before I didn’t really think a rock could be that interesting, but it actually blew me away of its size and beauty in comparison to the sandy plains surrounding. Resulting in the area being recognized by the World Heritage List. (Below, me with Uluru on sunset). After staying at the Ayers Rock Resort, the next day we spent exploring Uluru. After climbing it, My family and I did some of the walks around the rock viewing waterholes and rock caves, and learning about the tribes and people of the area.

'That's a really important sacred thing that you are climbing. You shouldn't climb. It's not the real thing about this place. The real thing is listening to everything'

The area is very well maintained and although there would be a lot of money being made there, I believe it is being done with a lot of respect for the community and the Indiginous people.  Everywhere you turn you are reminded of the culture of the area, such as the quote above, and there are many plaques informing of Aboriginal beliefs connected with Uluru and their connection with it. They believe that about 10 Dreamtime spirit people created the rock during the dreamtime, consisting of many of the local animals of the area, mostly snakes and the different ‘snake people’ who were living around the area at the time. All very interesting and creative in concept. Only spending a day there, we didn’t get to fully experience the area. I would of loved to do an Aboriginal tour and see some more artwork, which is on offer. While at the resort I did visit one gallery/shop, which was very cool and offered different garments and objects with traditional artworks printed on them. Such as this little coin bag (below), which comes with a small booklet, informing you of the artist, in this case Ruth Napaljarri Stewart, and story behind the piece of work and a brief history and culture of the tribe, she comes from. I think this is important when selling aboriginal art. It makes it more personal and you can investigate further into the artists and area if you would like to.

…to be continued.

Interesting Links:

·       http://www.sunsetdreamingaustralia.com.au/artists (Tommy Crow’s Website)

·       http://www.cooberpedy.sa.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=191 (About Coober Pedy)

·       http://austhrutime.com/mythology_uluru.htm (Dreamtime stories of Uluru)

·       http://www.environment.gov.au/parks/uluru/index.html (About Uluru)

Week 8

Urban Aboriginal Art

This week we looked at urban Aboriginal Artists, who see themselves as being squarely in the mainstream of contemporary Australian art and refuse to be differentiated or marginalized into a separate category. These artists use a wide variety of media and modes of expression, ranging from painting, prints, pottery, photography, digital works and installations. These artists battle against the stereotyping of Aboriginal Art and is often criticized for being not ‘authentic’ enough, because of their non-traditional techniques.

Some urban Aboriginal Artists to note:

·       Gordon Bennett

·       Judy Watson

·       Tracey Moffatt

·       Fiona Foley

·       Richard Bell

·       Sally Morgan

·       Trevor Nickolls

·       Albert Namatjira

·       Mickey of UllaDulla

·       William Barak

·       Tommy McRae

·       And the previously mentioned Lin Onus

A stand out artisst for me from this group is Trevor Nickolls. His drawings and paintings reflect his personal experience as an aborignal man from remotes South Australia, and his relationship to land, place and history. Using bright colours and a relaxed technique, his work mirrors his passionate search for the meaning of life and its struggles and joys. Nickolls depicts a wide range of perception, translating greedm humour and political issues to a visual surface with pure energy.

Trevor Nickolls, Mother Earth and Father Space stealing a kiss during the war against humanity, 2004 (Synthetic polymer paint on canvas)

Week 5,6,7

The last few lectures have been on Different Regional Styles of Australia for Aborginal Art. Each has its own style and techniques. The three main styles are, The Desert Region, The Kimberley Region and Arnham Land. (Below is the three main regions mapped).

Art of the Kimberley

Distinctive Style Characteristics are Large blocks of colour, Shapes outlined with white dots, Restricted palette, consisting of rich ochre tones with natural pigments. This style is most commonly associated with artists from North West Australia such as Paddy Bedford and Rover Thomas. (Below) Example of the Kimberley Region Style.

The Desert Region

Distinctive Style Characteristics: Wide palette. Images comprised of dots and circles. Acrylic on canvas.

This style propelled Indiginous art in Australia by making the ‘Dot art’ movement, and is most commonly associated with artists from Utopia, the Central Desert and the Western Desert. (Below) Example of the Desert Region style.

Arnham Land

Distinctive Style Characteristics: Restricted palette and natural pigments on bark. Cross-hatching or rark. This style is often derived from the meanings associated with the chest paintings used in sacred ceremonies. The paint used by artists often originated from sacred sites. (Below) Example of the Arnham Land style.

Interesting Links:

• http://www.artofthekimberley.com/ (Kimberley region)

Flinders University City Gallery

Located downstairs at the back of the State Library of Adelaide. This exhibition space aims to showcase the work of contemporary South Australian artists, as well as host exhibitions from the National Touring Network.

Now Showing:



Spirit in the Land
27th August - 23 October

The Landscape has been an enduring subject in the history of Australian art and vital to the on-going formation of images of a national identity. Within this tradition Spirit of the Land explores the connection between australian artists, historical and contemporary, Indigenous and non-Indiginous.[1]

Although the exhibition portrayed how different artists view the Australian land and their own experieces of living and being in the country, as a whole it seemed very 'one point of viewed'. Spirit of the land only represented only the outback land of Australia, not quite giving an accurate view of the entirety of Australia as a whole (aka not representing an suburban areas). It was difficult to use five words to describe it, because of its similarities. Brown, Dry, Abstract, Dark and Abandoned. All pieces represented Australia as a wasteland almost, arid and dangerous. On the positive point, there were some very interesting pieces, such as the piece above by Rosalie Gascoigne, titled 'Vintage'. This artwork was made of reflective road signs which were strategically placed onto plywood. Two of my favourite pieces in the gallery was Lin Onus's 'Jimmys Billabong' and Dorothy Napangardi's 'Mina Mina'. 


Lin Onus's piece 'Jimmy's Billabong' (below) has a very clear meaning for myself, in that the Australian environment is sacred land, basically. he uses tradition images from European and Aboriginal worlds to reflect the dilemmas and aspirations of Aboriginal people living in a predominantly non-Aboriginal society. The painting represents a barrier between the two societies, which is there, even if we don't want to admit it.

Dorothy Napangardi's 'Sandhills of Mina Mina' (below), 2000, is done on a huge canvas and was the stand out piece for me at this exhibition. She uses a fine variety of dot work in white on a plain black background to create an abstract painting which comes alive, from far away or close-up.

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[1] Art Guide Australia

http://www.artguide.com.au/exhibition/spirit-in-the-land-/ (accessed 8^th September)

Samson & Delilah

Written and Directed by Warwick Thornton, Samson & Delilah is a film about two teenagers in a remote settlement outside of Alice Springs. The movie is advertised as a love story, leading audiences to believe that the film will give them a feel good experience. This is not the case, as you notice after several minutes. The story is told in a very unique way, with not much dialogue at all, the main two character hardly even speak, mainly communicating with each other through noises, gestures and throwing rocks or clumps of dirt. This results in the movie feeling like it goes for 4 hours. The film demands that you need to slow your pulse beat to adapt to listless rhythms, which govern the community’s routines.

The film has a very ‘real’ nature, with the two main characters being played by two inexperienced 14 year old actors who also grew up in remote communities similar to their characters. Delilah takes care of her grandmother, by continuing to make sure he takes her medication and goes to the clinic. Her grandmother is a renowned indigenous artist who lives in poverty as a result of being ripped off by art dealers for her work.  This is an interesting aspect of the film, and makes you wonder if this is really happening in Australia today. Samson lives a lonely life, which revolves around his band, filling th gaps of his life with inhaling petrol and causing trouble in the community.

After Samson gets beaten for hitting one of his brothers in a haze of drugs, and Delilah is beaten and blamed for her grandmother’s death, they run away to Alice Springs. This is were the story twists and the two begin living on the fringe of the city, and are faced with almost every danger of the city, such as boredom, violence, poverty, sexual assault, racism and drugs. They both struggle to survive.

The film is done in a very beautiful way, although the story gives a very grim, raw, look at the challenges that young people face in Aboriginal life in rural Australia. The intense dramatic blows continue throughout the movie, which makes you wonder when its all going to stop. “An inside look at a world rarely, if ever, depicted on the big screen”, Screen International. It is definitely a movie worth watching, to give another perspective of Aboriginal life. The movie takes you to another world, an honest, tender, but tough one. 

Week 4

Lin Onus

This week our reading was an article on Aboriginal artist Lin Onus, who is one of the most stand out aboriginal artists i have seen so far. He uses such vibrant colours and urban techniques in comparison to other Aboriginal artists, with a lot of detail and contemporary meaning behind his work. We were asked if we thought his work was about loss or reinvention. Most of the class agreed that his work was a combination of both, but mostly about our reconciliation of our cultures and living together as Australians, such as 'Fruit Bats' (pictured further down in this blog), which portrays this perfectly. His work is interesting because it speaks about how he lost his chance to learn first hand about his culture, but he put effort in to find people who would teach him and now through reinvention of traditional styles and methods, Onus produces artwork which has the same cultural meanings as traditional works, with a contemporary urban spin.

(Above) Ginger and my third wife approach the roundabout, 1994, synthetic polymer paint on Belgian Linen (now showing in the touring exhibition ‘Spirit of the Land’)

Lin Onus was born of the Yorta Yorta people in 1948, and died in 1996.

Lin Onus combined urban with traditional aboriginal art, he liked to challenge the Eurocentric view of history and in its place provide an alternative vision, an alternative history. When criticized for mixing traditional and urban iconography inappropriately he refuted the notion of ‘appropriation’ insisting that it was based on the false premise that Aboriginal art is a traditional form that should remain static, and fixed in time, in order to remain pure. Mixing politics with art was always apart of Lin Onus’s work, by using a successful mix of humor and political views. In the Dingo series (pictured below), Onus portrays the natural characteristics of the animal and its treatment since European settlement.  The depiction of harmless animal behavior is contrasted by the intervention of ‘Trap’ (on the far right side of the picture below, and larger in black & white).

(Above) Dingo Series, 1989 (synthetic polymer paint on fiberglass, wire, metal)

Onus successfully combined urban and traditional aboriginal art, with his varied mediums and techniques. His installation Fruit Bats, 1991, (pictured below) consisting of a Hills Hoist carrying a multitude of fiberglass bats painted with rarrk, a ceremonial Arhnem Land crosshatch design. Highlighting that everywhere in Australia, if you look hard enough, you can see Australias caborignal culture. Onus, was imparting his knowledge that, beyond the immediately apparent there is another dimension, a Dreaming reality that anyone can become aware of if only they open their eyes and their minds to its presence.

Onus's work doesnt only refer to the historical encounter between 'blacks and whites', but also refers to local aboriginal politics between aboriginal people themselves. During his final years he was the most visible of all Aboriginal artists in his many roles which included being Chairman of the Aboriginal Arts Board of the Australia Council, a founding member of the artist’s copyright agency Viscopy and an eloquent speaker enlisted by peak arts bodies to act as a spokesman at the National Press Club and other prestigious gatherings. Above all, Lin Onus was an artist who made ‘no distinction between the political and the beautiful’. His contribution changed forever the perceptions about the nature of Aboriginal Art, and put urban Aboriginal art onto the Australian cultural map.

Reflective Paper

Assessment 1(Reflective Paper): Rabbit Proof Fence

Rabbit Proof fence is an Australian made film by director Philip Noyce and tells the story of three aboriginal girls Molly, Daisy and Gracie, who escape from an Aboriginal Institute, coinciding with the Australian western society during the Stolen generation Period. The film is based on the book ‘Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence’, which is inspired by true events and is written by Doris Pilkington, daughter of the main character Molly. The three aboriginal girls are taken from their community and are relocated to the Moore River Native Settlement. When they arrive they are united with other aboriginal children who like them have been taken, as part of the ‘Stolen Generation’ because of their mixed blood status (half white and half Aboriginal), known as ‘half-castes’. The story tells of their escape from the settlement and the journey to return to their family by following the Rabbit-Proof Fence that stretches over 1000 miles through the Australian Arid lands. I chose this film for my reflective paper because it gives an introduction into Australian History, through the eyes of the Aboriginal people and attempts to address the political, intellectual and cultural issues surrounding this time. The film also explores the relationship between the aborigines and the invading settlers and explains why half-caste Aboriginals were taken from their families as part of the ‘Stolen Generation’ and gives an insight into the lives and feelings of both aboriginal and non-aboriginal people of the time.

The ‘Stolen Generation’ consisted of children of Australian Aboriginal descent who suffered the destruction of identity, family life and culture because they were removed from their families by the Australian and State governments. These children were separated from their families during the period between 1910 and 1970.[1] The belief was that the children could be absorbed into white Australia by giving up their cultural heritage, and in time even their biological characteristic such as physical features and skin colour in successive generations.[2] This was represented in the movie as Mr. A.O Neville, mentions that the half-caste children should be removed from their families for he fears that there will be a ‘racial classification dilemma’ as the half-caste child could “allow a creation of an unwanted third race” and there will be a dispute on whether or not “the colours be encouraged to go back to the blacks” or “advance to the white status and be absorbed in the white population”.[3] He also mentions that half-caste children can be bred into white people and demonstrates how after three generations of marriages with white people there will be no trace of their original origin “the third generation, no trace of origin is apparent… continuing infiltration of white blood finally stamps out the black colour”.[4] Molly, Daisy and Gracie were taken from their family by the police, and along with thousands of other ‘stolen’ children of the era were taught to adapt to western society, by speaking English and brought up to believe in Christianity and abandon their traditional beliefs and culture. Children at the Settlement were also taught to believe that “the Aboriginal culture was evil” And persuaded them through the use of force to never revisit their original way of life and continue on living in western society.[5] The removal of children has become the most well known aspect of the aftermath from the colonisation process, destroying Aboriginal identity by educating Aboriginal children in non-aboriginal home and institutions. This is seen as a ‘deliberate theft’ of Aboriginal cultural identity by removing the children form families and communities and by removing ‘the next generations from their land’.[6] Aboriginal people are still experiencing the shockwaves of trauma from these acts today.

A large feature of this film is the lack of understanding between the Aboriginal people and the whites. A significant barrier to understanding the complexity of aboriginal culture lies in the widespread failure to recognise the diversity of Aboriginal people and their aspirations and demands.[7] As demonstrated in this movie and still today, Aboriginal people have known and understood far more about non-aboriginal people than non-aboriginal people have known about them. Aboriginal people have often deliberately limited the sharing of information about themselves with non-aboriginal people as a means of limiting non-aboriginal control over their lives. [8] After witnessing and researching historical events its understood why this withdrawal has occurred. As the white colonists gradually occupied the land of Indigenous people, their nomadic way of life was seriously eroded. Aboriginals were and still are seen as a ‘stone age’ race, the Aborigines came to rely on our laws and regulations as the structure of their society. Our laws change overnight in parliament with a stroke of a pen, yet Aboriginal laws are in the hearts of their culture and country, which never change. This strong idea of culture, is represented in the film when the three aboriginal girls are forced to fight the forces of the whites with the only weapon they have, culture, without help from the law. The Aboriginal girls are educated through generations of survival skills, tracking, hunting and survival in the bush, in which they would never have made it back to their home without. These qualities were essential throughout the journey, demonstrating the fundamental power of culture.

Although the film portrays the girls making it home, the settlement was not closed down and the actions during the stolen generation era still occurred, as we learn from the film at the end when they mention that Molly was again taken. This shows that neither the white or Aboriginal forces were successful in their actions. The racial struggles still continue up until today over land rights and racial equality. In policy terms, Aboriginal people in Australia have rarely been seen as anything other than a ‘problem to be solved’, Rather then engaging with aboriginal people and working in meaningful partnerships with them. Many stolen generation memoirs are now published in books, plays and films, such as Rabbit-Proof fence, and a National Sorry day was established. These publications continue to create awareness to Australia’s dark past and inspire people to investigate further into racial issues and think about their own lives differently. For Instance, I have watched this movie many times before, but it wasn’t until I did research around the topic on people’s individual stories and Aboriginal culture itself, that I looked past typical stereotypes and inside the word culture. This word has an entirely different meaning for non-aboriginal people such as myself, and from that I believe that we could learn a thing or two from Aboriginal people and their way of life for the better.

References

·       Branagh, K, Rabbit-Proof Fence, DVD, Directed by Philip Noyce (Australia, 2002).

·       GNT People, “Doris Pilkington Garimara Interview”, ABC 2011. http://www.abc.net.au/dimensions/dimensions_people/Transcripts/s888108.htm, (accessed August 15^th)

·       Anne Brewster, “Aboriginal life writing and globalization”, Australian Humanities Review. http://www.australianhumanitiesreview.org/archive/Issue-March-2002/brewster2.html, (accessed August 16^th)

·       Sarah Maddison, Black Politics: Inside the Complexity of Aboriginal Political Culture (Allen & Unwin. 2009)

·       Robert Manne, In Denial: the stolen generations and the right (Issue 1) (Black Inc. 2001)

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[1] Robert Manne, In Denial: the stolen generations and the right (Issue 1) (Black Inc. 2001), pg iii

[2] Anne Brewster, “Aboriginal life writing and globalization”, Australian Humanities Review. http://www.australianhumanitiesreview.org/archive/Issue-March-2002/brewster2.html, (accessed August 16^th)

[3] Branagh, K, Rabbit-Proof Fence, DVD, Directed by Philip Noyce (Australia, 2002)

[4] Branagh, K, Rabbit-Proof Fence, DVD, Directed by Philip Noyce (Australia, 2002)

[5] GNT People, “Doris Pilkington Garimara Interview”, ABC 2011. http://www.abc.net.au/dimensions/dimensions_people/Transcripts/s888108.htm, (accessed August 15^th)

[6] Sarah Maddison, Black Politics: Inside the Complexity of Aboriginal Political Culture (Allen & Unwin. 2009), pg 208.

[7] Sarah Maddison, Black Politics: Inside the Complexity of Aboriginal Political Culture (Allen & Unwin. 2009), pg xxi

[8] Sarah Maddison, Black Politics: Inside the Complexity of Aboriginal Political Culture (Allen & Unwin. 2009), pg xxviii.

Week 3

Destiny Deacon

This weeks readings was an abstract from ‘Twelve Australian photo artists’ and focused on Destiny Deacon, who comments on the urban Aboriginal experience through a range of media including photography. Her work has been described as interpreting contemporary society through a political framework, and we were asked if its necessary for the viewer to be familiar with the political ideas she is referencing in order to appreciate her work. I think yes and no. Like all Aboriginal art and just art in general, normally it is what the viewer sees and what they get out of the piece of work. Unless the artists wants you to feel a certain way, then the viewer needs to be informed of the issues surrounding the piece. Although in Deacons case, most of the pieces you can easily read what she is trying to portray in her imagery, such as the pice below. Portraying White Australians tight grip on the Indigenous community, by her common theme of using dolls throughout her work.

The Armory Show, Destiny Deacon (1997)

Destiny Deacon is one of the most interesting and controversial contemporary Aboringal artists, creating photographs that explore the layers of identity. Through photography Deacon plays a role in developing new modes of Indigenous cultural expression at the same time as exploring and representing something of her own personality. Many of her images seem to portray the struggle to fit in, an anxiety to reconcile conflicting parts of the self.

I really enjoy her work personally, and think its very interesting how she takes everyday objects, dolls, and gives them so much personality and story behind them. And think the pieces reach out to a broad audience on a number of different levels, because the struggle to unite pieces of ourselves to find a place in the world is something we all share.

‘I see myself as rescuing them from the people that would buy them. I’m saving them, adopting them.’ Destiny Deacon comments on her use of dolls within her photographs.