More great Australian Art

I”ve mentioned before that the late John Coburn is one of my favourite Australian artists. I am most disappointed that I will not get an opportunity to see the current exhibition John Coburn Paintings, Works on Paper and Graphics 1959-2003 (click each element separately) that closes at the Eva Breuer art gallery in Sydney this Friday. However, I have taken the opportunity to download the catalogue (2.74MB PDF) for future reference and you might like to do the same.

While I was looking around the gallery’s website, I was very excited to see the work of Eunice Napanangka Jack and Alice Nampitjinpa. Have a look and tell me what you think.

Be Prepared

I’m plodding my way through my endless “to do” list before we head overseas. Packing was temporarily delayed as I allocated myself a few minutes sulking time after I discovered that my favourite, versatile fine black merino jumper (or jersey in kiwi parlance) has been munched by some moths. Argh…Going through every cupboard and drawer in the house taking photographs for insurance records took up another chunk of time as did preparing back-up pdf files for the multiple tickets and journeys that our trip seems to entail. None of which is especially blog-worthy.

Instead, I leave you with these items:

• all of the artist statement details for the thirty New Zealand quilts in the MY PLACE exhibition are now available online and give valuable insights to these wonderful works;
• earlier in the week, Erica and I enjoyed a very pleasant afternoon viewing the Papunya Painting exhibition of western desert aboriginal art at the Australian Museum in Sydney and then the Out of the Blue exhibition by members of the Australian Textile Art and Surface Design Association. Neither venue allowed photography but you can see some images of the ATASDA charm challenge on Gramarye’s blog and I encourage all readers in the Sydney area to see the wonderful Payunya paintings before the exhibition closes at the beginning of November; and
• if I wasn’t planning to attend a church dedication for my yet-to-born niece or nephew the same weekend, I would be sending off my registration for the Ozquilt Network annual conference on 30 November. They have an interesting program lined up and all textile artists are welcome. Bookings close on 15 October.

Utopia: The Genius of Emily Kame Kngwarreye

Tomorrow is the opening day of the Utopia exhibition at the National Museum in Canberra. Since I don’t expect to be able to view this magnificent collection of works by aboriginal artist Emily Kame Kngwarreye in person, I am very pleased to see that the National Museum website contains some images and informative commentary.

After decades of mark-making on the body and in the sand, Emily’s cultural narratives found expression in the batik medium from 1977 to 1988, followed by painting on canvas until the end of her life, eight years later. Those of you with broadband might like to view this 8.4MB video (warning - it ends a little abruptly).

Utopia: So near & yet so far

After a highly acclaimed season at the National Museum of Art in Osaka and the National Art Centre in Tokyo, the exhibition Utopia: The Genius of Emily Kame Kngwarreye is coming to the National Museum of Australia.

I was looking forward to seeing her paintings in person while I am in the capital for the Canberra Quilt Show (7-10 August) but unfortunately the exhibition doesn’t open until 22 August and appears to close before I get back from France. Sigh.

Totally Floored

It’s been a dull, but productive, morning as I prepared the floorplan diagram for the Sydney Quilt Show 2008 catalogue. The allocated exhibition area has a different configuration this year so I decided to start the diagram afresh rather than trying to modify diagrams from previous years. Now at least I can cross this job off my list and visitors will be able to locate their wonderful quilts.

For floor candy of a different kind, you can’t go past the Designer Rugs website. They have a wonderful range including:

• Minnie Pwerle - one of my favourite Aboriginal artists;
• Vixen - sumptuous florals and paisleys by Melbourne designer, Georgia Chapman
• Drawn from the Land by Cloth; and
• From the Sketchbook also by Cloth.

Win an Abie Loy Kemarre Painting

I have previously mentioned the online gallery presented by the Central Art Aboriginal Art Store which features a variety of artists and styles and covers a wide range of price brackets. Now the Central Art Aboriginal Art Store is offering all its mailing list subscribers, as well as any new members that join the Central Art Mailing List, the chance to win a painting by Abie Loy Kemarre valued at A$3,000. See this link for more information:

I’d love to win this painting! (and no, putting up this post does NOT increase MY chances but does give you an opportunity to join in).

Inspirational Aboriginal Art

Following our exploration of colour, line and shape in the Royal Botanic Gardens last month, Erica and I made our way to the adjacent Art Gallery of NSW where our focus was on the following collections:

• the Australian (20th century) collection;
• the Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander collection; and
• the international contemporary collection.

Unfortunately, I cannot refer you to an image of the particular untitled Paddy Bedford canvas that captured my imagination but these links may give you some idea of his imagery and use of positive and negative space:Paddy Bedford selection and Google images.

Since this gallery outing, I have spent countless hours poring over aboriginal art websites marvelling at the diversity and vibrancy of the works. This online gallery presented by Central Art provides a comprehensive overview of contemporary Australian aboriginal art specialising in Central and Western desert art. Which artist draws your attention?

Shalom Gamarada Art Exhibition

As Australian readers will know, the Government’s latest policy initiative to address the deplorable state of indigenous health in this country has caused much controversy and angst. How refreshing then to hear the good news story of the Shalom Gamarada scholarship program.

The program funds residential scholarships for Aboriginal medical students on the campus of the University of New South Wales through the annual Shalom Gamarada Ngiyani Yana exhibition and sale of work by acclaimed Aboriginal artists:

“The name of the program comes from the term gamarada ngiyani yana in the Eora language and is translated literally as friends-walk-we or “We walk together as friends.” The word Shalom is a Hebrew word, meaning peace and is part of the name of the Shalom College at UNSW“

The exhibition is held at the Eric Caspary Learning Centre at Shalom College at the University of New South Wales, Kensington, Sydney and is open today and Sunday from 11am to 8pm. Pricing ranges from $125-$100K. There is also an Aboriginal Health Forum on 22 July 2007 from 4pm-6pm.

Those of us that are further afield can view this online catalogue. I especially enjoy the vibrancy of of the works of Lucy Ward; the ethereal patchwork quality of Longkoonan; the graphic pieces by Cory Surprise (great name!); and the texture in the works of Ngoia Napaltjarri Pollard.

Quilting in Progress!

Photographic evidence that I am making progress with quilting “Unplugged” :

Yes I know this shows the quilt upside down but I wanted to put the baggy, unquilted sections at the bottom. The quilting is quite heavy with lines approximately 1/8″ apart. As an experiment, I am quilting these lines with a darning foot rather than a walking foot. Here are a couple of closeups.

I will quilt the purple centre of this block in due course:

By the way, Ngoia Pollard Napaltjarri of Watiyawanu Artists won the 23rd Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award 2006 with her subtle, black & white textured canvas - Swamps West of Nyrripi .

Dreaming Their Way: Aboriginal Women Painters

In quilt blog circles lately, I’ve noticed some thought provoking discussions about the quality of art presented at art festivals (see Lisa’s posts on 7 and 8 July for example); how art quilts are not always “good” art (see Rayna’s post); and inspirational non-quilting (gasp!) blogs (see Dijanne’s post).

Although I never studied art history, have no formal training in the arts, and can’t draw to save myself, I do derive pleasure and inspiration from other visual mediums. For readers living on the East Coast of the United States, I draw your attention to the Dreaming Their Way: Aboriginal Women Painters exhibition which is on at the National Museum for Women in the Arts in Washington DC until 24 September and then at the Hood Museum of Art at Dartmouth College from 7 October to 10 December. As noted on the Hood Museum website:

This exhibition features intensely colorful canvases and extremely intricate paintings on bark by Australian Indigenous women painters from communities throughout the continent, highlighting the work of thirty-two artists who have made important contributions to contemporary painting. The art draws upon ancient stories—or dreamings—and symbols, as well as each artists’ deep connection to the land. It is a link to ancient tradition that makes Australian Indigenous contemporary art so unique. This is the first major presentation of contemporary art by Australian Indigenous women in the United States.

In total there are 78 works by 33 artists including:

• Emily Kame Kngwarreye
• Kitty Kantilla
• Eubena Nampitjin
• Kathleen Petyarre
• Gloria Petyarre

The visual impact of these works is undeniable and I’m trying to work out whether I can squeeze in a side trip to Washington DC when I am in Annapolis next week…