Articles - 30 July 2007

Queensland's Indigenous art and craft

To many people Queensland is a place of diversity, high growth, and abundant talent, however what they may not know is how established and dedicated the arts industry is when it comes to experiencing Indigenous art and craft. The Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art have made it their charter to lead the way in the areas of children's exhibitions and contemporary Indigenous art programs. The Queensland Museum is increasing its already impressive oceanic collection with contemporary Indigenous works, and many regional galleries and commercial entities make it their policy to schedule regular contemporary Indigenous exhibitions. The momentum of this encouragement and support is establishing the paths for emerging, mid-career and senior Indigenous Queensland artists to reach the high end arts industry as nationally and internationally acclaimed practitioners. View images

The subject of Indigenous art and craft can be categorised and interpreted in many different ways. It would therefore be inaccurate to take any one particular understanding without considering alternative views in their different contexts, especially for a subject as broad and encompassing as visual arts. Having said this I find that the vast majority of Australians and international visitors today view Indigenous art and craft as historic or traditional and therefore must hold some exotic ceremonial significance. Taking this common view a step further results in the idea that high end contemporary art and craft created by Indigenous artists is not really authentic to Indigenous culture. How could it be if there aren't any ochres or traditional symbolism used? This view is particularly disturbing because it supports the notion that Indigenous people are not modern, adaptable or interpretive. This misconception cannot be challenged through contemporary Indigenous art and craft without curators who understand the need for interesting and relevant exhibitions that provide alternative views.

There is, however, a requirement for more regular displays of contemporary Indigenous art and craft in Queensland despite the fact that interest in Indigenous exhibitions have grown significantly over the last two years. This requirement has been brought to the forefront by many small to medium arts organisations such as Artisan, Dell Gallery, the Institute of Modern Art and the University of Queensland Art Museum. These institutions schedule Indigenous exhibitions and public programs annually. With the support of such institutions interest in local and touring exhibitions involving contemporary Indigenous art and craft has steadily advanced. This advancement has also supported a challenge to the common stereotype of Indigenous work. Examples of such exhibitions include Woven Forms: Contemporary basket making in Australia, Twined Together, Positivity, Our Way, Cross Polynesia and Hermannsburg Life. Each of these exhibitions provides their own unique approach through which Indigenous art and craft can be viewed.

Artisan is showing Hermannsburg Life - over seventeen years of contemporary art exploration which is a retrospective view of the work of the Hermannsburg Potters. It supports the idea that Indigenous artists create contemporary works with their own unique aesthetic and that there is often little or no reference to desert dreamings or creation stories. Instead there are references to everyday events and the hardships and joys of life as they experience them. The Hermannsburg artists have defied common expectations and in doing so have made their mark in the arts industry. The exhibition is testament to their persistence which has delivered them as skilful artists with a right to be influenced in the same way as non-indigenous artists. The exhibition allows the artists to show a cross section of where the artists have come from in their arts practice and where they are looking to for their next artistic exploration.

Woven Forms: Contemporary basket making in Australia was a sought after touring exhibition in Queensland. It encouraged Indigenous and non-indigenous people to come together as expert practitioners in their field of woven art and craft. The exhibition was curated in such a way that demonstrated beautiful works, each of which held aesthetic traits that differed dramatically from one to the next. The strength of the works was one of the common elements of selection that allowed the high level of skill involved in their creation to be appreciated in its own right. The obvious differences of the works also allowed viewers to compare works, discuss them and understand how they might appreciate work that may have come from a different cultural background.

Twined Together is another contemporary Indigenous exhibition which is currently touring Queensland. It too challenges the common ideals of what is traditional and what is contemporary. The woven works of the Arnhem Land women from the top end of the Northern Territory provide insights into how traditional techniques can be timeless. It offers an extensive and solid grounding toward realising the depth of creativity and knowledge that is required to produce the works in the exhibition. More over, it also upholds the relevance and value of Indigenous culture, while allowing viewers to undertake the very human need to identify with people and objects through comparison. How does a woven work from the early 20's compare with work that has recently been made? And what can be gained from this comparison? Or, how does the work of these practitioners compare with my personal tastes, heritage, history and knowledge? These are important questions for viewers to raise as it encourages self analysis and the expansion and appreciation of different value systems.

Contemporary Indigenous art and craft has been experienced throughout Queensland in many different venues. It can be said that Queensland audiences are experiencing more alternative views on Indigenous art and craft than ever before. Whether Indigenous art and craft is aesthetically different or technically difficult makes little difference to common views without curation that identifies the need to address relevant issues. As a curator who has focused on Indigenous Queensland and Pacific art and craft I believe that how artists would like their work to be perceived is very important, but how viewers can experience and understand the work is the key to communicating more about Indigenous culture today.

Eliza Tee
July, 2007

Eliza Tee is an Indigenous curator and exhibitions manager for visual arts and advocate for Indigenous Australian and Pacific culture. Eliza is also a board member for the Institute for Modern Art.

Also see: 716 craft·design Issue #23 August 2007
Special issue on Indigenous craft and design