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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