Pay Attention ~ Tony Albert 2010

Earlier this year a good friend and amazingly talented Tony Albert very kindly invited me to participate in a project he was doing.

'Pay Attention' is a collaborative work with 25 of Tony's close friends. Each artist has created a thoughtful, individual work which collectively questions the problematic notion of “authenticity” in contemporary Aboriginal art and how the work of young Aboriginal artists is valued and interpreted in the art world.

The text is a direct quote taken from a lithograph by American artist Bruce Nauman held in the National Gallery of Australia. By referencing Nauman, Albert challenges the collection policies of some of the major Australian public art institutions whose collections, while reflecting international art trends, often fail to invest in what Albert and his peers recognise as significant indigenous art movements locally.

I feel very lucky to have contributed to this exhibition and admire Tony's strength and courage, below are some pictures of the process and exhibition which was showcased in the Roundabout Exhibition at the City Gallery, Wellington, New Zealand in November 2010.














L - R: Megan Tamati-Quennell, Richard Bell, Shelley Jahnke, Megan Cope, Archie Moore & Laurie Nilsen.

Sunday At The Gallery - NAIDOC 2010

Maps Matts

This workshop was held on NAIDOC Day, We wove together maps of Australia seen from a number of perspectives; Aboriginal Map, Native Flora, the first Geological map, Minerals & Resource maps etc to create multi-layered landscapes and views of how we see our environment and national identity.

Images Courtesy of Queensland Art Gallery
Photographer: Ray Fulton

Special Thanks to Ben Havenaar & Tony Albert for coming and helping with the major collaborative map.

Vanity

The Wandering Room
at RAWSPACE, February 2010

To Heat, To Freeze, To Prick

This exhibition was curated by the Wandering Room and also exhibited the works of artists Madeleine Kelly & Elizabeth Willing.

'To Heat, To Freeze, To Prick' is the third installation of The Wandering Rooms Window Box Project at 99 Melbourne St, South Brisbane. That route you could often walk from West End to the City vis a vis if you prefer the road more traveled.

The artists, Madeleine Kelly, Megan Cope, and Elizabeth Willing have created ephemeral and intimate works, which all relate to the concept of flux. That which is delicate, fragile, and breakable. Using experimental materials, with an often minimal and neutral aesthetic, the power within these works is their simplicity and non-complicity to permanence. With reference to both architecture and the environment, the artists in ‘To Heat, To Freeze, To Prick’ take up various modes of ephemeral art making.

Vanity
2010

ARC Biennial - Fort Lytton

Marutchi



The soundscape for Marutchi will be reminiscent of a war chant once sang by my ancestors prior to engaging in battle. A text based projection work will accompany the audio as a visual reference to the definitions of tribal lands, languages and their peripheries. This work also highlights what was taken away from Aboriginal people in order for the West to expand and secure economic interests.


Fort Lytton was used throughout the first and second world wars and even earlier to defend our city against possible enemy invasion and was a key quarantine centre through which many members of our multicultural community passed through on their entry to Australia.

Images from opening night:




Special thanks to Dominic Stephens for assisting with the production of the sound, Joshua & Dennis Walker for their cultural input.

New works - After the Flood Series

Artist Statement

Medium: Mixed media
(Military maps, Indian ink and synthetic polymer paint on canvas)


Toponymy, geomorphology and the latent consequences of rising sea levels throughout Queensland are the current areas of investigation for my latest body of work; this series focuses specifically on the river systems, flood plains and the built environment.

Military topographical maps (circa 1935-41) combined with basic cartographic symbology reveal a multilayered landscape, dual histories, dual identities and the cultural legacy of colonialism.

New watermarks redefine coastal areas according to geophysical maps illustrating the effects of a sea level rise of 5 metres; such cartography can be seen as central to future sustainability and highlights our fragile sense of place and identity in the land of fire & flood.

Toponomy and place names are an important aspect of culture and identity as they provide a location where history, events, landscapes and people are remembered, celebrated and continued.

These works seek to challenge the construct of time, place and fabric of our society that was formulated with the arrival of European settlers and convicts. Military maps echoing the myth of terra nullius depicting the land devoid from Aboriginal occupation now appropriated with significant names & places to local indigenous groups. The result manifests a visual dual history and a quest to decolonise our surrounding landscapes.