Indigenous Art, Culture & Design

An exploration of indigenous art, culture and design - Rochelle Driver

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Week 12 - Wrap up

Throughout this course, I have found that there is more to aboriginal art then i had once thought. I had only been taught a small amount of knowledge about the topic during my school years and had not been exposed to it since. Originally, indigenous art to me consisted of ochre based colours and dot paintings - very traditional. I see now that there is so much more to it than that. Looking simply at colour, most of the art I had seen consisted of whites, yellows, reds, oranges and browns - all very natural occurring colours. Now, I have seen bright pinks, neon greens and a huge spectrum of colours I would have never associated with indigenous art. Frequently, these colours are combined with traditional shapes or patterns associated with aboriginal art but the colours add a whole new twists to the piece. I have learnt of a more design based side to indigenous art, one that I didn't think existed.  From Richard Bell to Reko Rennie, there can be a very modern and visually appealing style of work that not only appeals to designers but still has hints of aboriginal art styles.

I now feel I have a stronger idea of what is considered aboriginal art and what isn't. I feel I can now interpret meaning from various pieces easier and with more accuracy. I realise that many of the pieces tell quite a story through colour, shape and imagery - whether it be a regional style, dreamtime story or political view - all you have to do is really look at the work to see it. All in all, this course has opened my eyes to a new perspective but I wish there was a little more of a focus on the graphic design elements of Aboriginal art.

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Week 11 - ProppaNow

As mentioned in Week Nine's post, I wanted to go in to more detail about the group ProppaNow that Richard Bell is a part of. It is a mixture of political artists based in Queensland that work predominately in the fields of painting, graphic art and photography. Many of these artists came from the campfire collective and created ProppaNow as they were frequently refused entry in to exhibitions and galleries. This was common in those living in the city. Those in remote areas were given better representation and attention compared to those living in the city as it was presumed those in the city had better access to art, galleries and funding, but this was not the case. 

The formation of a collective such as proppaNOW was seen as a means of addressing this structural disadvantage and providing the collective voice necessary to give the artists more equal access in a way not afforded them as individuals - Learning to be proppa: Aboriginal artists collective ProppaNow - Artlink

Artists in the group include Tony Albert, Vernon Ah Kee, John Herd, Andrea Ficher, Bianca Beetson, Richard Bell, Laurie Nelson, Gordon Hookey and many more. Together, they really began the movement of Urban Aboriginal art within Australia.

Below is an introduction to ProppaNow featuring some of the artists mentioned above. 

http://youtu.be/c3KWA-pDk4o

I like how it shows two very different sides to the people involved in the video. Firstly, showing a softer side and the hardships they have been through and then moving on to the more aggressive, political aspect of the group through not only the tone of the video but through Richard Bell's comment on changing the world.  

Resources:

http://www.artlink.com.au/articles/3359/learning-to-be-proppa-aboriginal-artists-collecti/

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Week 10 - Indigenous Design Lecture

This week, Troy-Anthony Baylis, took the lecture on Indigenous design. Unfortunately, the lecture was a bit of a let down in terms of the design I was expecting to see. I was hoping to see works that have stronger elements of design however the lecture seemed more focused on the design of their tools and products, with a touch of architecture and application of art. Having said that, a few works stood out in the lecture.

Firstly, was a jumping castle by Brook Andrews in 2010 that was placed at a war memorial.

"Brook Andrew’s Jumping Castle War Memorial presents a puzzle: as a full-size inflatable ‘bouncy’ castle it offers fun and laughs and an immersive experience, but as a self-titled war memorial it suggests solemnity and reflection." 

The above statement was written on the museum's website that hosted the jumping castle. This is a very captivating thought. A place that should be one of reflection is turned into a playful area. However, the black and white pattern all over the castle, black man standing in the middle and skulls on the towers does elude to this more sinister feeling. The pattern is based upon Wiradjuri design.

The above image is a picture of the T2 building in Taylor square in Sydney. It was created by Reko Rennie and is titled 'Always was, always will be" Reko was commissioned as part of the City of Sydney’s Streetware program for 2012. Below, Reko describes his piece.

"In this work, I used the geometric diamonds, referencing my associations to north-western NSW and the traditional markings of the Kamilaroi people. Across the front of the building façade, neon text (‘Always was, always will be’) is incorporated across the geometric diamonds. As a temporary work in this urban context the meaning is clear – this always was Gadigal country and always will be Gadigal."

To most, it just looks like a bright and vibrant geometric piece on a central building but this explanation puts it in perspective. Instantly, I am drawn to the bright and bold colours of the piece and being at such a large scale, it draws your attention. It would be great to see an installation like this in person. Looking through his website and pieces of work, Reko uses neon colours through many pieces and modern typefaces. There is a real design aesthetic to his work that is something very different to many other artists. He frequently incorporates diamond shapes within his work. Below are pieces from Homebrand (Tandanya, Adelaide) and Remember Me - The original people (installation in Washington, DC)

  He finished the lecture with this quote: "There is a visual language created by indigenous artists that is distinctive and is recognised by people and ingidgenous. I like the work language becasue it speaks of place and person. There has been a rich history of inidgenous theatre that connects with ceremony, painting, music and dance in the thousands of years previously and this has helped to shape what indigenous theatre is today. In a sense, this connection with indigenous history and culture has inadvertently shaped the image you see on stage, creating a kind of design langugae." - Jacob Nash, 'Design Language: place, people heart' in Realtime 111 Oct/Nov 2012 

I agree with this, even though it speaks of theatre, it can be applied to graphic design in an indigenous and non-inddigenous sense. Your culture influences your creations as it affects how you think and as a result becomes part of your design language.

References: http://www.artmuseum.uq.edu.au/brook-andrew-war-memorial-121571 http://rekorennie.com/index.php?/art/always-was-always-will-be---sydney/ 

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Week 9 - Richard Bell

This week I thought I would discuss Richard Bell. Unlike other artists, I feel that Richard Bell has a real design aesthetic in his pieces, which is more relevant and appealing to my course.   

Richard Bell is an out spoken and often controversial artist. He does not refer to himself as an aboriginal artist, and that what he does is not aboriginal art. He says those that refer to him like that is in itself racist. Just because he is of aboriginal heritage does not mean all the work that he does is aboriginal art, just like any work an American does is not considered American art. However, having said this his work highly references issues within the Aboriginal population and voices his opinions on these issues.

The images above and below show a series of works that he created on various issues. "Leave us kids alone" references the stolen generation, "I am not a woman basher" refers to the steretype of Aboriginal's as violent people and the third "There is no black problem" speaks for itself. The images themselves have three components. Starting from the back we see various tiled squares filled with lined patterns. Each square has similar tones of colour within, with the squares around it in contrasting colours. They are overlapped and of different sizes and are a reference to the constant use of patterns in Aboriginal art. Then there is the flicks of paint that have a Jackson Pollock-esque feel to them. On top of this is the white type, in capitals, demanding attention from the contrast and busy background. I like the use of strong colours mixed with the flicks of paint - it is an aesthetic that appeals to me and instantly makes me want to look at the piece, with the words drawing me in to contemplate the meaning and message Bell is trying to communicate.

  Richard Bell decided to use his art as a way to share his opinion without getting in to trouble like you would with protesting. He also finds it is a medium that creates more influence and exposure - people take notice of it. He says his the ideas behind his works are not necessarily his as they have been discussed for many years before he started painting but he can defend them. Bell is also a part of ProppaNow, an artist group based in Queensland. I will talk about this group in more detail in Week 11's post.

References:

Video: Richard Bell for Schools http://vimeo.com/29398489#at=0

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Week 8 - Desert Psychedelic

This week we visited the Tandanya Gallery to view the Jimmy Pike exhibition 'Desert Psychedelic'

Jimmy Pike is from the Great Sandy Desert of north Western Australia. It wasn't until 1981 that he discovered his talent for painting in the Western style, which he has became a key figure of. The exhibition is a showcase of textiles and prints (predominately screen prints) with the use of vibrant colours are intricate patterns. 

" 'Desert Psychedelic': Jimmy Pike is a flamboyant exhibition of textiles and prints on paper celebrating the creative genius of Jimmy Pike. Jimmy Pike had an ability to capture the essence of the Australian desert and landscape through a particularly bold and striking use of colour that gained Pike worldwide recognition through the application of his art to textiles." - Kathryn Wells

Many of the screen prints that he produced represented a story of his home, many associating with dream time stories. Below is an example of one of these. After reading the explanation next to his prints, you can really begin to see the story within the image. In the print below, i now see an island or main land in the middle maze like shape. The jagged lines that are around these shapes are almost like the people leaving the main land and wandering off, with the background layered lines showing how far some people go. For an image so abstract, it is surprisingly telling.

Below is a series of printed fabrics that were hung at the exhibition. I was drawn to these firstly by their colour and then by their patterns. There is a diverse range of patterns, thickness of lines and intricacy between the prints. The middle black and white print with the birds uses thick lines and a basic pattern of lines but compared to the ones on either side it is incredibly simple. However, even in the diversity I feel as if they connect with one another quite strongly and I think this is due to the colour, even though some are black and white.

Some of Jimmy Pike's works have been turned in to various types of clothing that were on display at the exhibition. Many of these prints, even though a strong Aboriginal style was apparent, gave off a relatively modern feel. Something that consumers would buy regardless of its connection to Aboriginal art yet can still tell the influence of the design.

Resources:

http://www.craftaustralia.org.au/library/review.php?id=jimmy_pike_desert_designs

http://jimmypike.com/about/

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Week 7 - Australian Aboriginal Art

This post will look into various pieces of art that i enjoyed in an exhibition catalogue by mossgreen auctions. Many pieces are different to what i would have expected of Aboriginal art as I only know the minimal pieces I have seen.

Fiona Omeenyo Looking forward... looking back, 2004 Acrylic on canvas 130 x 184 cm

The contrast between the warm oranges and reds with the dark blue background is originally what i liked about this painting. The continuous lines used to create the forms of people almost glow against the background with a stamp like quality in the texture.

Tommy Mitchell Tali Country, 2005 Acrylic on canvas 101.6 x 76.2 cm

This painting uses similar technique of the dot painting however the colours are unlike anything I have seen in Aboriginal Art. I am very much used to the earthier tones of red, brown, yellow and orange. It provides a sense of modernity to the painting but with the influence of the style of dot painting clearly showing through.

Betsy Napangardi Lewis Mina Mina Jukurrpa (Mina, Mina Dreaming), 2005 Acrylic on linen  183 x 122 cm

Much like the previous painting, this painting has traditional shapes associated with aboriginal art but uses a new range of colours that are quite bright. I thoroughly enjoy the use of these colours throughout these paintings as it brings about new emotions and contributes to the story in which the artist wishes to portray.

Samantha Hobson Raging Fire, 2001 Acrylic on canvas 183 x 136cm This last painting was entirely unexpected and if seen out of context i would never have thought of it to be Aboriginal Australian art. The piece is entitled 'raging fire' and upon closer look i can see this within the swirls of colour. Starting at the base, or the ground with blacks and browns shows the desert floor, bursting into flames of orange and red. This then morphs and twists into the blue night sky, evading it with the flickering embers of the fire.The colours are eye catching, with the mixing paint being very pleasing to the eye.

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The video series of The Rock Art of Arnhem Land - Check out Week 6's post for more information on the videos

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Week 6 - The Rock Art of Arnhem Land

One of the readings for this week was a series of videos by Paul S.C. Taçon, an archaeologist, cultural anthropologist, and rock art expert from Griffith University in Queensland. The videos talked about the Rock Art of Arnhem Land at Djulirri, one of the top sites in Australia for Rock art. Here are some notes and facts i wrote down about the video series and rock art.

There are at least 3000 paintings on the site arranged with up to 20 layers of paintings

They date back to 15,000 years ago with the most recent about 50 years ago

There is an abundance of ancient imagery including extinct animals and the changing landscape of fauna and flora

It shows the contact with other races that have visited the area - there are many drawings of ships from various countries including Britain

It is an extensive recording of their history and the area's history

It is regarded as a library, an encyclopaedia of time and environment

What i found intriguing within many of the drawings was how Europeans were depicted. At all times, they were drawn with hands on their hips, and quite commonly also with sailors hats on. This was how they were distinguished from Indigenous people in the drawings. Even when one hand was on the ships steering wheel, another was on the hips.

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Week 5 - Rabbit Proof Fence

This week, as part of my essay, I watched a movie called 'Rabbit Proof Fence'. The movie, which is based upon a true story is based upon a book by the main protagonist's (Molly) daughter, Doris Pilkington Garimara.

  It is based in Western Australia in 1981 and follows three girls journeys when they are taken from their families and community at Jigalong to the Moore River Native Settlement under the Aborigines Act. Mr. Neville, the chief protector of Aborigines, at the time had legal guardianship of every Aborigine in Western Australia. By law, he had the right to remove any half-caste child from their family in the state.

The followed the Rabbit Proof Fence to get home and travelled 2,400km. Below is a map of how far they travelled.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Rabbit_proof_fence_map_showing_route.PNG

In all the scene's of the movie, there was one that particularly moved me. This is an excerpt from my essay describing that scene.

During the film, the scene where the three children are taken from their homes and their mother and grandmother fight to keep them, left me quite distressed. They cry for one another, screaming to keep their children, yelling “My kids, mine. No, mine!”. It is a sound that one can not ignore. Such raw emotion comes from them as they chase after the car. They fall to the ground, as their whole world collapses around them. It cuts to after the children have left, the grandmother smashing her head with a rock, the mothers curled up, wailing in the foreground, heads between their knees. They mourn as if their children have just died, knowing that they will most likely never see them again. It is such a graphic scene in the film, one that really highlights the pain that the taking of children caused to many aboriginal people.

 The film created awareness about the tragedy that occurred when a family was torn apart due to this law. It still affects many Aboriginal families today.

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Week 4 - 'Roads Cross' Exhibition

This week, we visited an exhibition at the Flinder's Gallery in the State Library. The concept behind the exhibition was to showcase pieces of work from 16 non-indigenous artists who have been exposed to Aboriginal culture and life over the past fifteen years; both in person and through art and books. Some works have co-creaters with indigenous heritage.  I found this to be a unique twist on Aboriginal art as we know it. It is intriguing to see how others chose to interpret their experiences of the culture in the art. Some works being similar to that of an indigenous piece whilst others rather modern and with little resemblance to traditional art. 

'Rainstorm over Kununurra' - Franck Gohier, 2003 synthetic polymer paint on board, 80x61cm This particular painting by Franck Gohier was one of the pieces that had the most resemblance to indigenous art. He painted this piece as a homage to various artists from the Kimberley that he had worked with. This piece is him imagining those artists telling their stories as a great rain pouring over the landscape of the Kimberley. "I remember being overpowered by the pure colour fields and the physical texture of the raw ochre." This is how he describes an exhibition he saw in Darwin that inspired him to start this work with these artists. It is also what drew me to this painting in the exhibition.

A collaborative piece, taken from a previous exhibition by Jonathan Kimberley and Pura-Lia Meenamatta (Jim Everett) also caught my attention at the exhibition. Below, in the top left, is the artwork 'Meenamatta walantanalinany - beyond the colonial construct: meenamata map of unlandscape' that was on display at 'Roads Cross'.

The other 3 pieces are taken from the exhibition 'meenamatta lena narla puellakanny: Mennamatta water country discussion' The whole series of artworks is a collaboration of image and words an is a series that really appeals to me. I think it is the way in which the type is treated over the top of the beautiful textures, intricate patterns and colours of the artwork.

From the website of the exhibition, this is a statement about the pieces of work and their meaning.

The artists' responses to the north east landscape of Tasmania was brought together in a series of paintings with images and text. Through this process, the artists navigated a series of journeys that traced past into future. Their journey was an opportunity to make redundant the distinctions between black and white and to realise a new journey of reconciliation and unity.

http://www.devonportgallery.com/index02.php?id=49

I find that this unity they are trying to convey shows through in the work with the overlapping lines, text and image with elements of a more modern art and aboriginal art.

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Week 3 - Museum Visit

This week I visited the South Australia Museum to see the Australian Aboriginals culture gallery. The gallery contains many artefacts and of Aboriginal culture, all with detailed stories behind how they came to be.

Upon first entering the gallery, I noticed the Tindale Masks upon the wall. The masks were of various objects or animals like a turtle, a wheel or a cross. They are names the Tindale masks after Norman Tindale who stumbled upon them, and decided to collect them.

These masks were used by young Aboriginal men in 1947 in a group of performances before their intiations. It involved a month of ceremonies near Port Hedland in Western Australia by the Nyangumarda and Palyku people. The masks themselves are said to combine ancient elements and modern materials and subjects. The initiates took the impersonation of these animals and objects with a lot of energy and entertained onlookers with their dance with these masks. 

There was a series of images showing records on the rocks - in other words a collection of drawings and stories that have been drawn onto rocks over time. Initially, it was the colours that caught my eye. That of purple and blue, not a colour you would expect to see on rock. However, upon closer look you can see layers upon layers of drawing on the one rock which is rather intriguing. This ancient rock art, as some call it, gives us an insight into aspects of their daily lives and their environments thousands of years ago.

Amongst the many objects i looked at during my visit, what caught my eye most were the Yuendumu School Doors. There was a display of about 9 doors, out the original 30, each displaying an aspect of the Warlpiri's sacred dreaming designs. They were painted by senior Walpiri men in 1983 at a remote school, 250km north west of Alice Springs at the Yuendumu school. This is considered to be a key moment in Australian art because it symbolised the Warlpiri's decisions to explain their Dreaming (Tjukurrpa) to others in the world, those not a part of their home in the desert.

The museum provided an explanation to each door (shown in the photo below) This allowed us to not only understand what dreaming story the door depicted but also what each elements of the design meant.

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Week 2 - The Kimberley

Each Indigneous region of Australia has a distinct style of artwork, with the Kimberley being no different. Common symbols throughout their art are engraved geometric designs such as the interlocking key pattern, rock art paintings of the fertility and rain Wandjina figures, Bradshaw figures, Riji pearl shells. In particular, I am going to look at the geometric designs and the Wandjina. The Wandjina are spirit figures and are some of the most visually striking of all images in Kimberley art. I have always been intrigued by the dreamtime stories, and thought that they had been created by different tribes based upon stories handed down by different generations. According to the Worrorra, Wunambal, and Ngarinyin people of the north-western and central Kimberley, this is not the case. The Wandjina are the creator beings of the Dreaming, and that they made their world and all that it contains. 

With the completion of their earthly tasks, they disappeared into the rocks and sacred water holes in different parts of the country. As they disappeared they left pictures of themselves on the rocks. And this is where the figures are seen today, in many rock art sites in caves and rock shelters throughout the Kimberley.

Above is a representation of the Wandjina in the 2000 Sydney Olympics opening ceremony.

The visuals of the Wandjina strongly remind me of the Western interpretation of Aliens in the oval/teardrop shaped head, large solid black eyes and a small, almost invisible mouth. I wonder if the Western idea of Aliens had come from The Wandjina originally as both are spirits or figures from beyond this planet.

Looking now in to the Geometric shapes of the Kimberley, I have found a few pieces that appeal to me as a designer.

Gimmerbayin Cave, 2006, Lena Nyadbi, ochre and pigments on canvas 82 x 198cm

My Country - Texas Downs, Queenie McKenzie, 1998, ochre on canvas, 101 x 140cm

I can not quite pinpoint what it is about these paintings that appeal to me. It may be that not all of the shapes are exactly perfect, particularly the trees in Gimmerbayin Cave, they are all slightly different from the other. Geometric shapes are quite common, however, they all generally have curved edges. The harmony in the use of colours and tones is quite nice in both paintings.

Sources: MccCulloch's Contemporary Aboriginal Art: the complete guide http://www.aboriginalartonline.com/regions/wandjina-art.php  http://poleshift.ning.com/profiles/blogs/wandjina-rock-art-kimberley-au 

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Week 1 - Balarinji Studio

Balarinji Studio, founded by designers John and Ros Moriarty, is Australia's leading indigenous art and design studio.  John Kundereri Moriarty was taken away from his family in the Northern Territory at the age of four. He was bought up in boys homes in Adelaide and Sydney under the governments assimilation policy where he studied for his Bachelor of Arts. Now he is a full member of his people, the Yanyuwa people, belonging to the Kangaroo and rainbow snake dreamings. Ros Moriarty is a designer and managing director for the studio. She is a graduate from the Australian National University and formerly a journalist for Radio Australia. In her time there she  looked at indigenous affairs, women's issues and the environment. The Balarinji studio has worked with many big clients both nationally and internationally including Qantas, Bank of America, British Airways, Coca Cola Atlanta and the City of Sydney. The design studio represents a fresh approprach to Australian design culture. "Balarinji is forging significant new paths in connecting traditionally oriented Indigenous symbolism with contemporary Indigenous designs." - James Wilson-Miller, curator and head of Koori History and Culture at the Powerhouse Museum. One of their most iconic works would be their work with Qantas on two 747 Boeing aircrafts. The illustration and design was based upon the Wunala and Yananyi Dreaming. The legends of both of these dreamtime stories are depicted on the Qantas website:

"In Dreamtime journeys, spirit ancestors in the form of kangaroos (Wunala) make tracks from camps to waterholes, leading the people to water and food. Today, as they have for centuries, Aboriginal people re-enact such journeys through song and dance 'corroborees'. These ensure the procreation of all living things in the continuing harmony of natures seasons."

"'Yananyi' means going or travelling. In 'Yananyi Dreaming' radiating pathways lead to the symbol of Uluru, depicted both as a physical form surrounded by Kurkara (desert oak trees), and as an abstract representation of concentric circles. Blue hills (Tali) rise from the desert landscape, and mala (Rufous Hair - Wallaby) tracks are imprinted on the sand. Lungkata (Blue tongued Lizard) basks in the hot sun in this fragile and ancient place. 'Yananyi Dreaming' is the strong Uluru story."

The artwork on these planes is quite lovely and eye catching, very different to any other planes flying in Australia and across the globe. It tells a story and really strongly represents a large portion of Australian culture. Sources: http://archive.agda.com.au/eventsnews/national/events/2005/Balari.html/ http://www.qantas.com.au/travel/airlines/aircraft-designs/global/en 

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Welcome

Welcome to my blog that looks in to Indigenous art, culture and design from Australia. Throughout this blog, I will try and look closer at more design related aspects of Indigenous work as it relates more closely to my degree, however i will look at many different aspects of the Indigenous people of Australia. To be completely honest, I know very little about this topic only what I have seen or taught in school. Unfortunately, it is one of those subjects that isn't taught heavily in school. I believe i will learn many new things over the next 13 weeks and my eyes will be opened to a whole new perspective.