'We Bury Our Own'
Review of contemporary Aboriginal artist CHRISTIAN THOMPSON's exhibition at The Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford.
In We Bury Our Own Aboriginal artist, Christian Thompson, presents eight photographic self-portraits and a video installation created in response to the historic photographic collection from Australia at the Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford. Set in a corridor of the museum, Thompson communicates his experiences of and feelings about his homeland, and in this way is a ‘voice’ for Aboriginal people. He makes the exhibition space into a sacred zone where, in this digital age of image reproducibility, spiritual repatriation of the archive can take place by the formation of a link between the archive and Australia .
The exhibition is also a part of Thompson’s own evolving trans-cultural identity – of Aboriginal and British heritage, he has exhibited internationally and is one of the first two students to study at Oxford University on a Charlie Perkins Scholarship. The focus of this photo essay will be on the interrelationships between the images and on the themes of heritage, authority, loss, fragility and mystery. Consideration of the video has been omitted.
Desert Melon and Down Under World bring two different worlds together where the sitter is wearing Oxford academic dress. In the former, a pictorial paper hat portrays landscape, suggesting the ‘fragility’ of Thompson’s heritage. Flowers placed over his eyes suggest he is in contemplation of his homeland. In a similar way the crystals in Down Under World can be understood as channelling the spiritual world into the corporeal through a healing process so enhancing the creative process of repatriation (there are beliefs, not necessarily Aboriginal, that certain stones are connected with healing and warding off negative energies). The formal Oxford attire worn by Thompson is an important link with academia, conferring authority on his presentation.
In contrast, Invaded Dreams provides a stark reminder of where responsibility may lay for this invasion of his homeland. In this symmetrical image, Thompson holds against his black-hooded face, a model of the Elizabethan warship Mary Rose, symbolic of hostility and conflict. The tiny Union Jack flag perched on the mast points to the UK as the aggressor in Australia. While this may be so, Thompson’s hooded portrayal seems to be asking, who exactly is responsible? The suggestion here may be that both UK and Australian heritages are entwined and interlocked and that it is not so easy to apportion blame for the losses suffered by Aboriginals.
Melancholy, lamentation and forgiveness are the themes in the images Lamenting the Flowers and Forgiveness of Land. In the former, the eye is immediately drawn to the vivid red of the flowers circling Thompson’s head and then to the black net of mourning covering his face. An important motif in the image are the butterflies on his eyes symbolising the fragility of the soul. In the latter image, Thompson is connecting spirituality to land through the crystals placed on his eyes. The headscarf seems to suggest he is accepting of his situation and has adopted a feminine approach to the dilemma.
The theme of loss continues in Three Sisters with an abundance of flower heads engulfing Thompson’s face while three red candles are a reminder of a loss of family members. These three images are connected thematically to both Desert Melon and Down Under World and this is achieved through use of motif. There is a strong sense therefore of something fragile having been lost.
Thompson points to the ‘mystery’ of life which engulfs us all in Danger will Come. Here he focuses on the universe – the unknown element which is a source of fear but also one of curiosity and leading to investigation. In this image, his hands hold a vision of a starry universe but with the familiarity of a rose-coloured frame. Finally, a note of optimism is reached in Energy Matter where energy is represented by painted dots on hands. This energy shows the power of the mind to unravel mysteries by a quest for knowledge and truth and in this way is a ‘solution’ to the problems posed by fear of the unknown.
In his artist’s statement, Thompson outlines his aims and objectives as being the creation of a meditative space focused on freeing oneself of hurt, and the transmission of ideas. Does he achieve this? In terms of the spatial arrangement of the exhibition, I think a square or oval would be better suited to presenting the images so that the frequencies of the votive objects such as the crystals, which Thompson refers to, can more effectively be experienced through the senses. Colours such as the blues and purples of the crystals, however , subtly convey a feeling of spirituality. The use of a monochrome and sepia palette are a reminder of the aridity of Australia. Connection with the colonial archive is also made by way of reference to nineteenth century ethnographic portraiture – head and shoulders, full-face and looking directly into the camera – through Thompson’s self-portraits.
With regard to communicating his ideas, the simplicity achieved in the use of colour and motifs is effective in doing this. The use of red is attention-drawing. Flowers and candles highlight things lost. The ideas of authority, energy and fragility are cleverly conveyed.
In conclusion, the importance of this exhibition lays in the way viewers are able to connect with Aboriginal heritage and in this way places it on the global stage for consideration as both a body of art and as an important political and historical message. Further, it highlights the question of identity in an increasingly globalised world.
Review by Freya Harris, Fines Arts Graduate, 2013
Copyright: Pitt Rivers Museum
