BLACK DIAMOND

BLACKARTPROJECTS & REKO RENNIE PRESENT

BLACK DIAMOND

B L A C K

BLACK DIAMOND

Sydney Contemporary Carriageworks 245 Wilson Street Eveleigh, New South Wales 19 - 22 September, 2013

BLACK DIAMOND Three hand drawn symbols - the crown, the diamond and the Aboriginal flag - are presented as an emblematic statement about the original royalty of Australia. The crown is a homage to Reko Rennie’s graffiti roots and pays due respect to Jean-Michel Basquiat, but most importantly symbolises sovereign status. The crown reminds us that Aboriginal people are the original sovereigns of this country. The diamond is emblematic of the artist’s connection to his Kamilaroi/ Gamilaroi people. This diamond symbol is similar to a family crest; it is a part of his makeup. The Aboriginal flag, drawn in the form of a graffiti tag, pays respect to all Aboriginal people from environments both urban and remote and anywhere in between.

Regalia (Gold) (2013) gold plated aluminium 3 elements, 70 x 220 x 5.5 cm overall

Black Diamond (Silver) (2013) acrylic and ink on canvas 100 x 100 cm

Black Diamond (Pink) (2013) acrylic and ink on canvas 100 x 100 cm

Black Diamond (Green) (2013) acrylic and ink on canvas 100 x 100 cm

Black Diamond (Orange) (2013) acrylic and ink on canvas 100 x 100 cm

Black Diamond (Blue) (2013) acrylic and ink on canvas 100 x 100 cm

Black Diamond (Gold) (2013) acrylic and ink on canvas 100 x 100 cm

REKO RENNIE Born in Melbourne in 1974, Reko Rennie belongs to the Kamilaroi people of northern New South Wales. He won the Victorian Indigenous Art Award in 2008, held the Australia Council Cite Internationale des Artes residency (Paris) in 2009, and completed the 5 x 5 Project Commission in Washington DC (USA) in 2012. His work is represented in the National Gallery of Australia, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Art Gallery of Western Australia, Koorie Heritage Trust, Artbank, City of Yarra and the New Contemporary Art Museum in China collections.

Through his art, Rennie explores what it means to be an urban Aboriginal in contemporary Australian society. Drawing inspiration from his heritage, the artist recreates traditional images in a contemporary context using spray-paint and stencils. His work often features the characteristic flora and fauna imagery that represent his community.

In 2012 Rennie undertook a large sculptural commission for La Trobe University (VIC), in 2013 a mural project at The Block in Redfern (NSW) and in the same year extended transformation of the faรงade of the iconic T2 building in Taylor Square (NSW). Rennie was commissioned by the Gallery of Modern Art, Queensland Art Gallery to produce a site specific work on the 14m internal entrance wall of the gallery and is about to embark upon another piece to be featured in the forthcoming exhibition Melbourne Now at the National Gallery of Victoria. Reko Rennie is a studio artist at Gertrude Contemporary (2012-2014).

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS 2013 Regalia, Ryan Renshaw, Brisbane 2013 Royalty, Studio 12, Gertrude Contemporary, Melbourne 2012 Reko Rennie, Australia Council for the Arts, Sydney

SCOPE Art Fair, New York City, USA 2011 NEO GEO, dianne tanzer gallery + projects, Melbourne

Patternation, Institute, University of Virginia, USA

Tandanya Artspace, South Austalia

MOP Projects, Sydney

Black Magic, dianne tanzer gallery + projects, Melbourne

Black Magic, Art Gallery of New South Wales 2010 Native, dianne tanzer gallery + projects, Melbourne 2009 (ab) original, dianne tanzer gallery, Melbourne

Wallpaper, Koorie Heritage Trust, Melbourne

Message Sticks, Dianne Tanzer Gallery, Melbourne

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS 2013 Trust the 2%, Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane 2103 Message Sticks – Indigenous Identity in Urban Australia, Artbank, Mumbai, India

2012 Gertrude Studios, Gertrude Contemporary, Melbourne

Passing Parades, Alaska Projects, Sydney

Omission, Linden Centre for Contemporary Arts, Melbourne

Signal 8, The Cat Street Gallery, Hong Kong

5x5, Washington DC Commission of Arts and Humanities

Remember Me, Centre for Contemporary Photography

Archibald Prize, Art Gallery of New South Wales

Victorian Indigenous Art Awards 2011 Innovators, Linden Centre for Contemporary Arts, Melbourne

Australian Embassy in Jakarta

WA Indigenous Art Awards, Art Gallery of Western Australia

Victorian Indigenous Art Awards 2010 Signal 8, Salon Show, Cat Street Gallery, Hong Kong

Bingo Night in the Promised Land, New Image Art Gallery, Los Angeles, USA

Australian Pavilion Shanghai, World Expo Shanghai

White Hot, dianne tanzer gallery + projects, Melbourne 2009 Environments: The Printmaking Summer Residency, RMIT Project Space, Melbourne

Octopus 9 – I Forget to Forget, Gertrude Contemporary Art Spaces, Melbourne 2008 Anonymous Drawings #9, Blutenweiss, Berlin

Gulpa Ngarwul, Koorie Heritage Trust, Melbourne

Victorian Indigenous Art Awards, Boscia Gallery, Melbourne 2007 Nguurramban: From Where We Are, Linden Centre for Contemporary Arts, St Kilda

Victorian Indigenous Art Awards, Koorie Heritage Trust COMMISSIONS 2012 LIMS Sculptures, La Trobe University, Bundoora

Streetware, ‘Always was, always will be’ City of Sydney

Kluge Ruhe Aboriginal Art Museum, Virginia, USA

‘Remember Me’, 5 X 5 Project, Washington DC, USA

OA NDN, Museum of Contemporary Native Arts, Santa Fe, USA 2011 Neon Natives, Melbourne Laneways Commission, Cocker Alley 2010 Open Weekend, Art Gallery of New South Wales

The 3CR Mural Project, Melbourne

Boyd Commission, City of Melbourne

PRIZES / GRANTS / RESIDENCIES 2013 Residency, Gertrude Contemporary, Studio Residency, Melbourne 2012 Residency, University of NSW, Centre of Fine Art, Print Residency with Cicada Press, Sydney

Residency, Gertrude Contemporary, Studio Residency, Melbourne 2011 Grant, Australia Council New Work 2010 Residency, Le M.U.R. association, Mural, Paris on rue St Maur and rue Oberkampf

Finalist, The Fletcher Jones Art Prize, Geelong Gallery

Finalist, Sunshine Coast Art Prize

Finalist, 27th Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award

2009 Residency, Cite Internationale des Artes, Australia Council, Paris

Finalist, Royal Bank Scotland Emerging Artist Award (formerly ABN AMBRO Award)

Grant, City of Port Phillip, Arts Grant 2008 Winner, Victorian Indigenous Art Awards, Boscia Gallery, Melbourne

Highly Commended, Gumbri: White Dove, by NGV Indigenous Curator COLLECTIONS National Gallery of Australia Art Gallery of New South Wales Art Gallery of Western Australia Koorie Heritage Trust ArtBank City of Yarra New Contemporary Art Museum, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China

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