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)
No comments:
Post a Comment