What’s on in Queensland?: Australia: Defending the Oceans, at the Heart of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art

'Australia: Defending the Oceans, at the Heart of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art'
March 23rd – September 30th 2016 – Oceanographic Museum of Monaco

Welcome to the first entry of 2016 for my guest section 'What's on in Queensland?'. A major event happening in relation to Queensland is currently taking shape and will actually be held in Monaco!

Curated by Brisbane based gallery director Suzanne O'Connell (whose gallery Arts & Artists Blog has covered before), in partnership with Stéphane Jacob of Arts d'Australie in Paris, Girringun Aboriginal Art Centre in Far North Queensland (famous for its production of miniature and massive Bagu sculptures), Erub Arts (AKA Darnley Island Art Centre), Pormpuraaw Art & Cultural Centre, Ken Thaiday Snr and Alick Tipoti, the exhibition will showcase numerous works by several important Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander artists to the European art market in Monaco next month (March 23rd). The exhbition will feature large installations and will feature numerous sought after ghost net sculptures. The exhibition's overall concept is through art, to showcase the love and connection, as well as the protectiveness, Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander peoples have for and over their oceans and sea territories.

Made possible by the Federal Government's new funding scheme Catalyst (as well as with support from other government bodies, not to mention generous sponsorship from the private sector), the project is expected to be one of the largest in Indigenous fine art promotions abroadInitiatives of the kind which benefit the domestic and hence local art industry immensely (and no doubt pose a huge boon for events such as the Cairns Indigenous Art Fair) due to the exposure of Australian artists and interest generated in Aboriginal culture and fine art. For more information on the Catalyst fund and for information on eligibility and the application process, please follow this link.

While the Monaco project is still taking shape, with new works being completed and/or commissioned every day- Ms O'Connell was kind of enough to share a little sneak peak at what will be expected on display at the renowned Oceanographic Museum in Monaco as part of a larger programme of performances & artists talks as well as a special concert event. Ms O'Connell also dropped a few of the main names whose work will be exhibited to an audience of about 500,000 art lovers! Such names include Aboriginal art superstars Alick Tipoti, Ken Thaiday Snr in collaboration with Jason Christopher and Brian Robinson.

We at Art & Artists Blog hope you enjoy this preview and hope we've left you enough time to save up and book your tickets to Monaco! While you may not make it in time for the opening (to be opened privately by HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco) you will have ample time to go and see the exhibition as it runs until the 30th of September. Following the opening, on the 24th of March Alick Tipoti and his team of dancers will be performing at the museum throughout the day. The event is followed on the 26th by a free public concert in Lyons at the Musée des Confluences with a performance by the Zugubal Dancers.
 
Defending the Oceans follows the Museum's tradition of exhibiting high standard contemporary works by the likes of Damien Hirst, Huang Yong Ping, Mark Dion and Marc Quinn (to name a few), and is part of the larger exhibition at the Museum titled "Taba Naba – Australia, Oceania, Arts of the Sea People". "Taba Naba" will feature two other exhibitions, Living Waters and Oceania Islanders: Past Masters in Navigation and Artistic Expression.
Jack Wilkie-Jans 
 
Aboriginal Affairs Advocate
Artist & Artsworker

W: http://jackandrewwilkiejans.weebly.com/

Alick Tipoti 'Kisay Dhangal'courtesy and copywright Alick Tipoti and Australian Art Network, photo Roger D'Souza
 Alick Tipoti Kisay Dhangal courtesy and copyright Alick Tipoti and Australian Art Network photo Roger DSouza
Bagu scultpures Museum facade, simulation, courtesy of Girringun Aboriginal Art Centre, photo by Michel Dagnino
Bagu scultpures Museum facade, simulation, courtesy of Girringun Aboriginal Art Centre, photo by Michel Dagnino 
Brian Robinson, Githalai II, simulation, copyright design Brian Robinson et Creative Move, copyright photo Tilt Industrial Design et The Artificial
Brian Robinson, Githalai II, simulation, copyright design Brian Robinson et Creative Move, copyright photo Tilt Industrial Design et The ArtificialEmeret Nar, 550 b 540Emeret Nar, 550 b 540,Jimmy Kenny Thaiday, Jimmy John Thaiday, Lorenzo Ketchell, Ellarose Savage, Emma Gela, Ethel Charlie, Alma Sailor, Louisa Kiwat, Racy Oui-Pitt, in collaboration wit photo by Lynnette Griffiths
Crocodile ghost net sculpture, image courtesy and copyright artist Michael Norman and Pormpuraaw Arts and Cultural Centre
Crocodile ghost net sculpture, image courtesy and copyright artist Michael Norman and Pormpuraaw Arts and Cultural Centre 
Erub Arts, Merad Turtle, ghost net sculpture, photo by Lynnette Griffiths
Erub Arts, Merad Turtle, ghost net sculpture, photo by Lynnette Griffiths
Erub Island artists fish ghost net sculptures, photo Lynnette Griffiths
Erub Island artists fish ghost net sculptures, photo Lynnette Griffiths
Oceanographic Museum of Monaco courtesy of Oceanographic Museum of Monaco
Oceanographic Museum of Monaco courtesy of Oceanographic Museum of Monaco

Guest writer ‘What’s on in Queensland? Bimblebox: Art – Science – Nature

Art and Artists blog is excited to include another Jack Wilkie-Jans guest post. Enjoy!
 
Bimblebox: Art – Science – Nature, a touring exhibition, is a must see. Currently showing at Artspace Mackay (61 Gordon Street, Civic Centre Precinct, Mackay) in Northern Queensland, the exhibition will be on display until the 6th of December 2015 before continuing doing the rounds through regional galleries in Queensland and New South Wales. Next year the exhibition is off to the New England Regional Art Museum, NSW (106-114 Kentucky St, South Hill NSW) from the 5th of February to the 24th April 2016. Click here for future exhibition dates!
 
Showcasing Seventeen Artists, the group exhibition is curated by well known curator and art consultant, Beth Jackson. The works are varied (click here for catalogue), ranging from collages made up of naturally sourced materials, to modern sculptural installations of both natural and technological appeal, fine paintings & drawing, photography, sound installations and digital art. As such the exhibition is a balanced collection of talent, with artists drawing upon their experiences at Bimblebox Nature Refuge for their collective inspiration. The Bimblebox Nature Refuge is an 8000 hectare property in Central Queensland’s Galilee Basin that is currently under threat from Coal Mining. 
 
They say nothing can beat nature, and while Mother Earth's creation (cared for by the caretakers at the Bimblebox refuge) is surely one of the greatest and most beautiful "installations", Bimblebox: Art – Science – Nature is a modern artists' interpretation and presentation of the aesthetic and the spiritual stories of such a pristine landscape. Showcased within art galleries across Queensland and New South Wales, like a modern take on the botanist portfolios of old, the exhibition literally transports Bimblebox to the viewer, and visa versa- something which is always a rewarding experience and a hallmark of any successful concept!
 
For more information please go to: bimbleboxexhibition.com or bimbleboxartproject.com
All Souls Day (Tree), 2009, Luke Roberts, photo courtesy of the Artist and Milani Gallery Brisbane

All Souls Day (Tree), 2009, Luke Roberts (photo courtesy of the Artist and Milani Gallery Brisbane)

Coalface, Alison Clouston and Boyd, source www.bimbleboxexhibition.com

Coalface, Alison Clouston and Boyd (source www.bimbleboxexhibition.com)

Mining Aramac from the Mining Galilee Series, 2013, Fiona MacDonald, photo courtesy of the artist

Mining Aramac from the Mining Galilee Series, 2013, Fiona MacDonald (photo courtesy of the artist)

L to R, L, Jaw War Tet Tweer, 2013, Sarah McIlroy, R, Mending the Future, 2013, Jill Sampson, photo Carl Warner

Left to Right, Jaw War Tet Tweer, 2013, Sarah McIlroy & Mending the Future, 2013, Jill Sampson (photo Carl Warner)

Bimblebox Skymap 2, 2013, Glenda Orr, photo Carl Warner

Bimblebox Skymap 2, 2013, Glenda Orr (photo Carl Warner)

Reconfigured Landscape no. 1, no. 2, no. 3, 2013, Shayna Wells, detail from photo by Carl Warner
Reconfigured Landscape no. 1, no. 2, no. 3, 2013, Shayna Wells (photo by Carl Warner)

Guest writer: What’s on in Queensland? Umi Arts Members’ Exhibition (Cairns)

Art and Artists blog is excited to introduce Jack Wilkie-Jans our new guest wrtier, I hope you enjoy his first post about the Umi Arts Members' Exhibition at Umi Arts Gallery (335 Sheridan Street, North Cairns, QLD, 4870) on 12th February – 25th March, 2015…

This year Umi Arts gallery celebrates their 10th anniversary of operation in representing A&TSI artists and with the inauguration of the Cairns Indigenous Art Fair in 2009, Umi Arts as the leading gallery in Queensland for representing and promoting Indigenous Australian art (contemporary and traditional) truly began to get noticed by larger galleries and serious collectors both at home and abroad.

The annual 'You & Me' Members' Exhibition each year for the past ten, showcases some of the region's best A&TSI artists and of course the eclectic combination of style, mediums and concepts they share between them. This year's line-up of artists features some of the most respected, enduring and promising established artists from the area such as Arone Meeks, Heather Koowootha, Paul Bong and Rosella Namok.

At this exhibition the viewer will be treated to a mini-maze of portable plinths and partition walls all decorated with the finest art & artefacts to represent the broader skills and style base of the gallery's numerous artists. While the 'You & Me' show for this year features only 16 of the gallery's rather expansive membership (including three works by yours truly) it reflects not only the diversity of the artists but also, and more significantly, highlights the enduring and ever-changing idea of what "Indigenous" art is.

So if you're a lover or learner of Indigenous Art and if you're considering an arts & cultural pilgrimage away from the big cities please be sure to head up to Cairns and visit the Umi Arts gallery. Of course many of the Umi Arts artists can be seen at the Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair, the Cairns Indigenous Art Fair and the Biennale of Sydney, as well as around the traps at various other state and national public and private galleries.

Keep an eye out for the Umi Arts name and a finger on the rapidly growing pulse of creativity coming from the Far North!

Arone Meeks

  Arone Meeks, Spirit Ark, 2012, Linocut on Arches BFK 300 gsm (Edition of 35), 110cm x 170cm, Photography by Michael Marzik

Sharon Karami

Sharon Karami, Bamboo Grove Path, 2014 Digital Photography, 42cm x 60cm, Photography courtesy of the artist.

Thomas BosenThomas Bosen, Magpie Geese laying eggs, 2014, Acrylic on Canvas, 122cm x 76cm, Photography by Michael Marzik

Bernard Singleton1

Bernard Singleton, Damarri Guyala-djada, 2014, Wattle/flat acrylic, feather, beeswax, (work 1) 250cm x 46cm x 10cm, (work 2- right of image) 250cm x 40cm x 10cm. Photography by Michael Marzik

Robert Tommy Pau

Robert Tommy Pau, Bigo (Rain Making Bull Roar), 2014, Digital print on panel, 85cm (h), Photograph courtesy of UMI Arts  

Author: Jack Wilkie-Jans
Jack is an artist and writer as well as an Alumni of the National Gallery of Australia's Wesfarmer's Indigenous Arts Leadership program from Far North Queensland.
www.jackandrewwilkiejans.weebly.com

‘James Turrell: A Retrospective’ NGA Canberra

Happy New Year 2015! I have a few exciting posts​ coming up for 2015 and can't wait to share them with you. Expect more regular posting.

I was very lucky to have been able to go ​to ​ Canberra ​recently ​to visit family and see some amazing exhibitions. Today I want to talk about James Turrell's show "James Turrell: A Retrospective" 13 December 2014 – 8 June 2015 at the National Gallery of Australia (NGA), Canberra. This is a paid exhibition costing $20.39- $45.88. The more expensive premium tickets are for experiencing 'Perceptual cell', which I unfortunately didn't get to do because it was booked out when I was there. Also note that 'Within without' is part of the permanent collection and can be viewed for free, this work ​is ​best viewe​d​ at dawn or dusk to fully appreciate the lighting effects.

So what did I think? I really loved seeing & experiencing both his earlier works through to his more recent im​m​ersive​ works​. I also loved ​seeing​ other visitors have a sense of curiosity and wonder about the work. I loved the show so much I plan on seeing it again when I go back up to work on a commission and I hope to be able to get ​a ​ticket to the 'Perceptual cell'. ​P​remium tickets are selling out fast so ​if you​ plan on going to Canberra try and book the tickets now otherwise you might miss out.

As photos w​ere​ not allowed in the exhibition​,​ here are some images and a video provide​d​ by NGA.

James Turrell 9

James Turrell 
Within without 2010
Skyspace: lighting installation, concrete and basalt stupa, water, earth, landscaping
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra
© James Turrell
photograph: John Gollings
James Turrell 6

James Turrell
Shanta II (blue) 1970
Cross-corner construction: fluorescent light, built space
Dimensions variable: 106.6cm (max height of aperture)
Image: National Gallery of Australia
James Turrell 1

James Turrell
Afrum (white) 1966
Cross-corner projection: projected light
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
© James Turrell
photograph © Florian Holzherr
James Turrell 4James Turrell 8 James Turrell 3James Turrell 2

James Turrell
Virtuality squared 2014
Ganzfeld: built space, LED lights
800 x 1400 x 1940.5 cm (overall)
Collection James Turrell
Image: National Gallery of Australia
James Turrell 7

James Turrell
Bindu shards 2010
Perceptual cell: fiberglass and metal. Light program
420.8 x 653.1 x 607.1 cm (sphere)
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, purchased 2014
Image: National Gallery of Australia