CAIRNS ART GALLERY JUNE - AUGUST 2019 MEMBERS NEWSLETTER | 77
DIRECTOR’S FOREWORD
IMAGE COVER Naomi HOBSON Road Play (detail) “She told Mum she was taking me for a ride down the road but she not.” Laine 2019 digital print 81 x 110 cm Courtesy of the artist 1
IMAGE ABOVE L-R Tony ALBERT bush babe i’m bring’n sexy BLAK AM I ARE YOU ARE WE 41 x 33 cm 36 x 30.5 cm 29.7 x 22 cm from Blak Velvet series 2007
synthetic polymer spray paint on found vintage velvet painting Griffith University Art Collection, Brisbane Purchased 2007 Image courtesy of the artist and Sullivan+Strumpf
This year the Gallery’s program for the Cairns Indigenous Art Fair (CIAF) advances our commitment to present new narratives that challenge conflicting histories and contemporary interpretations around Indigenous culture in Queensland and expand the parameters of contemporary art and design practice within the region. We would like to thank all our exhibition partners this year, including CIAF, Gab Titui Cultural Centre, National Gallery of Victoria, and the remote Indigenous communities of Coen in Cape York and Mer in the Torres Strait. With the support of our funding partners we have engaged and collaborated with many Indigenous writers, researchers, curators and artists to present a program that opens up new dialogues around Indigenous portraiture and identity, and supports new creative enterprises based on the aspirations of Indigenous communities in our region. Following CIAF, the Gallery will present a major exhibition by Patricia Piccinini that includes new works created in response to the unique
tropical life forms in Far North Queensland. As part of our Art + Science initiative, the exhibition will include an extensive educational program to support learning interests of all ages, developed in partnership with academic and research institutions across the region. These and other creative learning programs will be enhanced with new iPad technology as a result of a recent Gambling Community Benefit Fund grant to the Gallery. With so much on offer over the coming months, I hope you will make time to share in and enjoy all the programs and events at the Gallery. Andrea May Churcher Director
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CIAF 2019 EXHIBITION PROGRAM
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QUEEN’S LAND
BLAK PORTRAITURE LATE 19TH CENTURY TO THE PRESENT PRESENTED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH CAIRNS INDIGENOUS ART FAIR (CIAF).
PARTNERS AND SPONSORS This project has been assisted by the Australian Government’s Visions of Australia Program and is supported by the John Villers trust.
NAOMI HOBSON
ADOLESCENT WONDERLAND PARTNERS AND SPONSORS Naomi Hobson has received financial assistance from the Queensland Government through the Arts Queensland Backing Indigenous Arts initiative.
BLACK BAMBOO
CONTEMPORARY BAMBOO FURNITURE DESIGN FROM MER A SHARED INITIATIVE BETWEEN THE CAIRNS ART GALLERY, NATIONAL GALLERY OF VICTORIA, AND GAB TITUI CULTURAL CENTRE. SUPPORTED BY THE MER GEDKEM LE (TORRES STRAIT ISLANDERS) CORPORATION RNTBC AND SEA SWIFT PARTNERS AND SPONSORS
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CIAF 2019 EXHIBITION OPENING EVENT
WEDNESDAY 10 JULY, 6PM
CIAF 2019 EXHIBITION TALKS THURSDAY 11 JULY 11-11:45AM
QUEEN’S LAND
BLAK PORTRAITURE LATE 19TH CENTURY TO THE PRESENT 11.45AM - 12.00PM
NAOMI HOBSON
ADOLESCENT WONDERLAND 12 - 12:30PM
BLACK BAMBOO
CONTEMPORARY BAMBOO FURNITURE DESIGN FROM MER
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UNTIL 11 AUGUST 2019
QUEEN’S LAND
BLAK PORTRAITURE LATE 19TH CENTURY TO THE PRESENT Presented in partnership with the Cairns Indigenous Art Fair, Queen’s Land Blak Portraiture explores the relationships between personal, cultural and national identity in relation to historical and contemporary portrait images by Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists. The impetus for developing the exhibition is driven by the Gallery’s collection and program focus on the art and culture of the world’s tropic zone, and our particular location as the gateway to the diverse cultures of the Torres Strait Islands and Cape York Peninsula Aboriginal communities. The exhibition’s curatorial concept for this ambitious project has been developed by the Gallery Director, Andrea May Churcher. Senior Curator, Julietta Park, has worked with Consultant Curator Djon Mundine OAM, Artistic Director of CIAF, Janina Harding and Michael Aird, Research Fellow, School of Social Science, University of Queensland, to realise the exhibition.
Queen’s Land Blak Portraiture includes early archival photographs taken during first settlement, juxtaposed with paintings and prints by Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists from the twentieth century through to the present day. Together these works explore narratives about ways in which Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Queensland have been represented or have chosen to represent themselves over the past one hundred and fifty years. Different narratives are informed by complex historical, political, cultural and social conditions that have profoundly changed ways in which identity and self-identity have been, and continue to be, portrayed through portraiture. The exhibition also includes newly commissioned works by Danie Mellor, Ryan Presley and Tony Albert, and works on loan from private and public collections from around Australia. Together these works trace how portraiture has been shaped by prevailing government policies and social attitudes of the day. The concept of portraiture is one that is challenged through works in the exhibition, as it is evident that, for Indigenous peoples, portraiture and identity extend beyond the
IMAGE LEFT Danie MELLOR A gaze still dark (a black portrait of intimacy) 2019 wax pastel, wash with oil pigment, watercolor and pencil on paper 178 x 117.5 cm Courtesy the artist and Tolarno Galleries, Melbourne 8
generally accepted western notion of a vertical representation of a face to depict the image of a person. For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, identity and portraiture can be represented and interpreted through a cultural totem, a marking, a foot or hand print, a name or a ritual. It is only in very recent times that photographic portraiture has been available to Indigenous artists, and through this medium they have sought to challenge common perceptions of their identity in order to present images of themselves and others as they want to be seen. In Michael Aird’s recent essay commissioned by the Gallery, he explains: Regardless of how and why photographs were taken, Indigenous people are often able to look past the exploitative nature of some of these images and just accept them as treasured images of family members. To reflect on the way Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people have been represented in photographs, it is often simplified to a story of exploitation – yet, the story is much more complex, with stories of Indigenous people taking control of exactly how they wanted to be represented at different points in time.
Over the past two hundred years the journey for Indigenous peoples in Queensland has been long and fraught, and in many cases its effects can be read in the eyes and faces of the people who look out from the portraits which have been brought together for the first time for this immersive exhibition. This project is presented in partnership with the Cairns Indigenous Art Fair. It has been assisted by the Australian Government’s Visions of Australia Program and is supported by The John Villiers Trust, and the Regional Arts Development Fund (RADF) that is a partnership between the Queensland Government and Cairns Regional Council to support local arts and culture in regional Queensland.
IMAGE RIGHT Gertrude DAVIS Caught in a bush fire 1 2011 digital image 60 x 42 cm Courtesy of the artist 9
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14 JUNE - 25 AUGUST 2019
BLACK BAMBOO
CONTEMPORARY BAMBOO FURNITURE DESIGN FROM MER In February 2019, curators from National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), Cairns Art Gallery (CAG), and Gab Titui Cultural Centre, along with respected Melbourne-based furniture designer and craftsman Damien Wright, travelled to the small volcanic island of Mer in Eastern Torres Strait. Mer is also known as Murray Island and is home to a native species of bamboo, colloquially referred to as ‘black bamboo’, known in Meriam Mir language as marep. Meriam people are experts in working with marep.
Arti, derives its shape from an octopus’s tentacles, lined with suckers. The octopus known in Meriam Mir language as arti is central governance of Mer and is a symbol of tribal harmony. Under its head the eight tentacles represent each of the eight tribes; Komet, Zagareb, Meuram and Magaram, Geuram, Peibri, Meriam-Samsep and Piadram/ Dauer. The story of arti traces the beginning of the special inter-tribal relationships Meriam people have with one another, and with the natural world.
From talking to the artists, the team learned about the many ways that people used the bamboo in the old days. Until relatively recently, marep was used primarily as a source of housing. People would construct what is known as akur meta, a type of bamboo shelter with an open-air kitchen. Several artists talked about using the bamboo to make weris (sardine scoop), lugup (dance apparatus), baur (fishing spears), and more.
Koki cabinet references the four main winds that blow through the Torres Strait - Sager, the Southerly wind, Koki, the Northerly wind, Naiger, the North Easterly wind, and Ziai, the Westerly wind. For this cabinet, artists cut from single bamboo poles two different birds, a black bird to represent waumer (frigate bird), and a white bird to represent serar (tern). The flock of birds that make up the facade is angled toward the top left corner, in reference to the North West direction.
For this exhibition, artists pushed themselves to develop contemporary furniture designs unlike anything seen before, using the marep in groundbreaking and innovative ways. The collection includes cabinets, seating and a collection of hand-painted hessian cushions and mats. There are four cabinets in total, Arti, Koki, Gepi, and Ebur Peris Peris. The body of each cabinet can be read as a face, elevated on legs and covered with an elongated mask - each mask telling a particular story.
Gepi cabinet is made up of over two hundred and fifty sawn bamboo fish scales. This cabinet represents the scales of the Murray Island sardines, which form giant shoals along the beach bringing with them an abundance of marine and bird life. Ebur Peris Peris is arguably the most dramatic cabinet, comprising thirty-six hand shaped feathers. Each feather utilises the natural curvature of the bamboo poles and has been
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painted to represent the tail feather of the deumer, also known as the Torres Strait Pigeon. For Meriam people the feather of the deumer is a powerful cultural object that symbolises both unity and individuality. Men wear a single black and white deumer feather as part of their headdress during special festivities. This feather is attached to the spine of a palm frond, and the length of the frond is used to identify what tribe the individual comes from. Symbolically, the feather, like arti, represents oneness. The smaller feathers on Ebur Peris Peris represent a Meriam funeral tradition. When a member of an important cult passes away, their body is decorated with feathers which function to mummify and preserve both the body and the spirit before passage to the afterlife. In addition to the cabinets, artists developed two custom-made bamboo seats, supported by over fifty soft cushions made from upcycled hessian bags. Sik Utem (sleeping bed), and Amrir Bau (sitting chair), combine Meriam philosophies and stories with a bold contemporary design aesthetic. Sik Utem (sleeping bed) is a day bed made using the post-and-rail technique. The overall design combines traditional bamboo wood-working techniques with rope lashing. This method of rope tying is one that has been used by men and women both for fishing and in the construction of bamboo houses, turtle fences and windbreaks. Traditionally women and men would plait and coil a vine known as boz to connect individual bamboo poles and create a wall.
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Amrir Bau (sitting chair) also combines rope lashing with traditional weaving. Amrir Bau is constructed from bamboo poles and decorated with purple woven mats that are made from both dry and green pandanas. The transforming of gerer (pandanas leaf), to nati nati (coiled strips), to papek (woven mats) is an intergenerational collaborative process involving women from different tribes. From lugiz (great grandmothers), to kaied (grandmothers), to apu (mothers), to neur berbet (daughters), this matrilineal knowledge transfer of weaving speaks of the close bonds between generations of women. During the team’s final days on Mer, Elders came together for a blessing ceremony. During this ceremony all four cabinets, and both of the seats, were described as ambassadors, and imbued with life force beyond their functionality. By allowing the collection to travel away from the island, to share Meriam stories of culture, family and place, the Meriam people are giving the world an extraordinary gift. And for that, we say ‘au esoau’ (thank you). This project could not have happened without the generosity and support of The Mer Gedkem Le (Torres Strait Islanders) Corporation RNTBC, and Sea Swift. Myles Russell-Cook Curator, Indigenous Art, National Gallery of Victoria Simone LeAmon The Hugh Williamson Curator of Contemporary Design and Architecture,
IMAGE PAGE 11 Black Bamboo: Contemporary Bamboo Furniture Design From Mer, artist Andrew Passi Snr working on the collaborative seating design Sik Utem (Sleeping bed). Photograph: Courtesy NGV
IMAGE ABOVE Black Bamboo: Contemporary Bamboo Furniture Design From Mer, four collaborative standing cabinets by Meriam Elders, artists and community members participating in the Black Bamboo design and maker workshop 2019. (L-R) Arti, Gepi, Ebur Peris Peris and Koki. Photograph: Courtesy NGV 14
Naomi HOBSON Time Jo 2019 “What time there Jo? Can’t take too long… have to go shop soon before it closes at four, pick my supply up for the weekend” Jimmy digital print 75 x 104 cm Courtesy of the artist 15
UNTIL 11 AUGUST 2019
NAOMI HOBSON
ADOLESCENT WONDERLAND Naomi Hobson lives and works in Coen, a remote Indigenous community in Cape York where she plays an important role as an artist, mentor and creative inspiration. Adolescent Wonderland comprises a new body of photographic portraits that establishes new narratives around black representation, identity and gender in Coen. In Coen our young people are not just engrossed with living a quiet life based on ancient cultures and beliefs. In reality there is a search for a much deeper engagement with the world. What I see is a pop-culture fusion. Our young people are immersed in global social media, so they have a much broader sense of a global culture than every generation before them. There is a constant and persistent search in Coen by young people of ‘how to be’ in this world. What this series explores is how pop culture and indigenous culture are fusing and allowing the inherent energy and youth of our young people to express their individuality. I am applying the after-effects to focus the attention towards the subjects in their transition between childhood and adulthood, where the subjects are still finding themselves through adventure and playfulness. They have not yet let go of their childhood.
Naomi Hobson, April 2019
This project is an initiative of the Cairns Art Gallery and has received financial assistance from the Queensland Government through the Arts Queensland Backing Indigenous Arts initiative, and is supported by Kalan Enterprises, Coen, Cape York.
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UNTIL 11 AUGUST 2019
RESISTANCE
ONLINE VIDEO WORK BY COEN YOUTH The Gallery is committed to creating opportunities to provide upskilling and technical and creative support to young and emerging artists in the region. To this end we are delighted with the successful outcomes of a mentorship project delivered by Naomi Hobson to young mentees in Coen. While working on new photographs for her current exhibition at the Gallery, Coen-based artist Naomi Hobson mentored young artists in her community to produce a video entitled Resistance that explores issues of identity. Four mentees participated in the project - Madena Jaffer, Donna Creek, Puchaanu Creek-Rokeby and Mark Doolah-Thompson, and their collaborative video can be viewed on line on the Gallery’s website www.cairnsartgallery. For the mentees, the title of the video, Resistance, is important. They explain:
Speaking about the experience of creating the collaborative video, Puchaanu Creek-Rokeby says: It was hard work, but I really enjoyed working with everyone especially piinya Nammie (Naomi Hobson) using her camera to take photos I felt like a professional artist. It felt good to be telling a story in video it’s something I have never thought about doing or ever done before and I’m glad I did it. This project is an initiative of the Cairns Art Gallery and has received financial assistance from the Queensland Government through the Arts Queensland Backing Indigenous Arts initiative, and is supported by Kalan Enterprises, Coen, Cape York.
In the face of an ever-changing world that predominately works against the interest of indigenous Australians we are stable in the face of this adversity. Despite these forces we will always remain strong.
PARTNERS AND SPONSORS This project has received financial assistance from the Queensland Government through the Arts Queensland Backing Indigenous Arts initiative.
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Donna CREEK, Puchaanu CREEK-ROKEBY, Mark DOOLAH-THOMPSON, Madena JAFFER Resistance 2019 video still 5:00 min Courtesy Naomi Hobson
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UNTIL 9 JUN ‘19
VINCENT BABIA
KOEY BUWAI MAB:MIGRATION FROM SAIBAI ISLAND TO CAPE YORK Vincent Babia lives and works in Seisia, one of five small communities located at the tip of the Cape York Peninsula. Through traditional masks and intricately carved prints and wooden sculptures, Babia describes the migration in the 1940s and 50s, of Saibai Islanders in the Torres Strait, to mainland Cape York Peninsula. Through these works the artist relates stories of his ancestors and celebrates his continued spiritual connection to his home country and his people. Prior to the arrival of the London Missionary Society on Saibai, an event which is known as the ‘Coming of the Light’, Saibai Islanders were fierce warriors and head hunters who fought with nearby Torres Strait Islanders and villagers who lived on the coast of Papua New Guinea. Babia’s works tell the stories of some of the sacred rituals that were performed to provide protection for warriors going into battle.
Rituals were also performed to protect harvests from forces of evil. Sageraw Nagu Uthui Mawa, 2019 describes a traditional ceremony that only men could perform that would protect garden beds and ensure quality produce during the harvest. Although the majority of Saibai Islanders journeyed to mainland Cape York to seek refuge from the floods and high tides affecting their home lands, they continued to perform customary traditions through song, dance, storytelling and cultural events, while gradually adapting to a new foreign environment, some 200km from their ancestral land.
Vincent BABIA Sageraw Nagu Uthui Mawa 2019 lino print on paper 121.5 x 97.5 cm Courtesy of the artist and Editions Trembley 20
23 AUGUST - 17 NOVEMBER 2019
CONNECTING NARRATIVES How we see and experience life in tropical Far North Queensland continues to be a source of fascination and inspiration for artists - those who live here, and those who are passing through or who have spent time working in our region. More than fifty works from the Gallery’s Permanent Collection have been selected. They connect different historical and contemporary narratives and experiences relating to landscape, people, industries and architecture in three distinct areas of Far North Queensland – the greater Cairns region, Cape York, and the Torres Strait Islands.
Isaac Walter JENNER Captain Kiddles Pearl Shelling Station Prince of Wales Island, Torres Strait 1897 oil on canvas on board 24.4 x 44.6 cm Cairns Art Gallery Collection Purchased 1997 21
Through paintings, prints, drawings, photographs and sculptures, Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists document and imagine how industries such as sugar cane, pearling, fishing and hunting, have irrevocably shaped peoples’ lives, cultural identity and the environment from early settlement to the present day. The Collection comprises more than seven hundred works that have been acquired since the mid-1990s. Artists represented in the current exhibition include Ray Crooke, Dick Roughsey, Fred Williams, Percy Trezise, Kerry Trapnell and William Yang, as well as contemporary artists whose works have been donated to or commissioned by the Gallery within the past three years. These include Mavis Ngallametta, Vernon Ah Kee, Danie Mellor, Daniel Boyd, Heather Koowootha, Grace Lillian Lee, Michael Marzik, Paul Bong and Francesca Rosa.
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22 AUGUST - 8 DECEMBER 2019
PATRICIA PICCININI LIFE CLINGS CLOSEST Patricia Piccinini describes her practice as ‘focused on bodies and relationships: relationships between people and other creatures, between people and bodies, between the artificial and the natural, between creatures and the environment.’ This question of our place in the environment is key to this exhibition, as well as our relationship to - and our responsibilities towards - the other creatures we share it with. Piccinini wonders what happens to us if we recognise that we are just one animal among many, and that our fate and theirs are tied together. Piccinini’s work is drawn from the real world but they are often not anything that we recognise. Their strangeness challenges our acceptance of the different. They are hybrids drawn from the animal world and beyond, but somehow, we can see ourselves in them. This exhibition brings together works from the last twenty years of Piccinini’s practice, as well as a new group of works inspired by the unique environment of Far North Queensland. These
Patricia PICCININI Eulogy 2011 silicone, fibreglass, human hair, clothing 110 x 65 x 60 cm Edition: AP1 of 3 Courtesy the artist © Patricia Piccinini
works celebrate the wondrous ecology of the area, but also wonders at how we can cope with the overwhelming challenges facing it. Perhaps because she is drawn to advances in genetics and the natural world, many people have looked at her practice in terms of science and technology. However, it is just as informed by Surrealism and mythology. What interests Piccinini is creating stories that reflect what it’s like to be alive today. She is drawn to the complexity that arises when the rational, the emotional and the ethical collide.
» EXHIBITION OPENING EVENT & ARTIST TALK with artist Patricia Piccinini Wednesday 21 August, 6.00pm
This project is supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland, and has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body.
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30 AUGUST - 13 OCTOBER 2019
HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS Home Is Where The Heart Is brings together new works by nine artists who live and work in Far North Queensland: Gertrude Davis, Fiona Elisala, Wanda Gibson, Daisy Hamlot, Walter R. Lui, Tania Major, Michael Marzik, Priscilla Ong and Francesca Rosa. The exhibition invites viewers into the lives of each artist as they creatively interrogate concepts of ‘home’ and what it means to them in terms of family, heritage, personal identity, ideologies, and experiences of travel and migration. For Walter R. Lui, a Darnley Island artist who spent much of his time on the island of Lifou in New Caledonia, memories of living in traditional huts with only limited access to technology, speaking French, and surrounded by the island way of life, are memories of his home that continue to inform his work. Other artists, such as Priscilla Ong, have quite different memories of ‘home’. Through her works, Ong retraces her experience of being raised in Singapore, while also spending much of her time living in Berlin, Sydney and Alice Springs before settling in Cairns. She explains
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that for her, home is not a specific place, rather it is a feeling she gets in specific moments when doing certain things, like walking in different streets in different parts of the world where she feels at home.
Home is where the Heart Is offers a deeply personal journey and a fascinating insight into the lives of nine artists who live and work in our region.
» EXHIBITION OPENING EVENT & ARTIST TALK Saturday 31 August, 2.00pm
Walter LUI Kanak grass house 2019 digital drawing Courtesy of the artist 26
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GALLERY COLLECTION NEW ACQUISITIONS FRED WILLIAMS Fred Williams (1927-1982) is recognised as one of Australia’s most innovative and important twentieth century artists. He is best known for his distinctive depictions of the Australian landscape, an approach that took Australian landscape painting to a new level of modernity and abstraction. Early last year the Gallery staged a major exhibition of works from Williams’ highly acclaimed Weipa series of gouaches. The exhibition included thirty works from major public and private collections around Australia, including five from the Cairns Art Gallery’s own collection.
We are delighted that, while in Cairns for the opening of the exhibition, Lyn Williams AM generously agreed to donate three works from the exhibition to the Gallery’s Permanent Collection. We are indebted to the generosity of Lyn Williams and thrilled that the Gallery now has one of the most significant holdings of works from Fred Williams’ Weipa series of gouaches in Australia.
Williams made his first light plane flight in 1977, when travelling to Weipa on the west coast of Cape York, Queensland. For the first time he saw the vastness of the Australian landscape from a true aerial perspective. The experience of flying low over the country was just as brilliant as he had always hoped it would be. While he only spent a few days in Weipa, the experience had a profound effect on him and led to the creation of what many still consider some of Williams’ finest works – the Weipa series.
Fred WILLIAMS Vines and Wildflowers 1977 gouache 57 x 75.5 cm Cairns Art Gallery Collection Donated through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program by Lyn Williams AM in memory of Fred Williams, 2018 Photograph: Mark Ashkanasy 28
Max Delany, Artistic Director of the Australian Centre of Contemporary Art has selected thirty-four artists for this year’s ARTNOW FNQ exhibition which opens on 13 December 2019. Congratulations to the following artists:
ARTNOW FNQ 2019 Paul BONG
Andrew BONNEAU
Mollie BOSWORTH Henry BRIM Jill CHISM
Rosey CUMMINGS Gertrude DAVIS Lou DERRY
Geoff DIXON
Janet FIELDHOUSE Jenny FRASER
Amanda GABORI & Dorothy GABORI
Marion GAEMERS & Lynette GRIFFITHS
Tamika GRANT-IRAMU Melanie HAVA
Naomi HOBSON & Coen Women’s Group
Hopevale Artists Madge BOWEN, Dora DEEMAL, Gertie DEERAL, Wanda GIBSON Daisy HAMLOT, Grace ROSENDALE
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Andrea HUELIN
Heather KOOWOOTHA Grace Lillian LEE
Rosie LOWDOWN Walter LUI
Arone MEEKS
Roland NANCARROW Alair PAMBEGAN Julie POULSEN
Brian ROBINSON Francesca ROSA Yixy RUAN
Syd Bruce SHORTJOE
Jimmy Kenny THAIDAY Jennifer VALMADRE Ian WALDRON
Jason WEGGER
» CAIRNS ART GALLERY FOUNDATION
» CAIRNS ART GALLERY MEMBERS
I am thrilled to announce that the Foundation’s Annual gala dinner will be held on Saturday 19 October at the Pullman Cairns International, one of the Gallery’s new sponsors this year.
Membership of the Gallery gives you access to many exciting events, social activities and creative learning programs, as well as great discounts at Perrotta’s Café and the Gallery Shop.
The annual dinner is a major event in the Cairns social calendar and one that brings to Cairns celebrity artists and arts professionals who in the past have included Betty Churcher, Wendy Whiteley and Lyn Williams. This year we are thrilled that internationally acclaimed artist Patricia Piccinini has accepted our invitation to be a guest speaker at the dinner, along with exuberant artist/fashion designer, Grace Lillian Lee.
We are very happy to advise Members that, as the result of a recent grant from the Gambling Community Benefit Fund (GCBF), we have recently purchased iPads for the delivery of new and exciting creative learning workshops for adults and children of all ages. IPad technology has inspired the work of many artists, including David Hockney whose prints have astounded and thrilled audiences around the world.
The Pullman is a fabulous venue and each year we look for new and exciting ways to make our nightof-nights a very special one. Remember that tables of ten can be arranged for friends, family and work colleagues.
With the support of the GCBF, the first in a new series of iPad-based workshops is being delivered on Saturday 10 August, for children 8-12 years of age. As a Gallery Member you can make a priority booking and receive a Member’s discount for your child in this workshop if you contact the Gallery directly between Monday 17 - Friday 21 June.
Finally, a reminder that all donations to the Gallery Foundation are tax deductible and support the purchase of major works for the Gallery’s Permanent Collection. With the end of the financial year fast approaching, now is a great time to make a donation and show your support for the Gallery. Donations and bookings for the dinner can be made through the Gallery, or on line at www.cairnsartgallery/Foundation/
This year we are also delighted to announce that Mantra has renewed its support of the Gallery’s Membership program by offering a special rate for all bookings made on line at the Mantra Esplanade. To access this discount rate, simply book on line using a unique code available through the Gallery Shop.
Lea Ovaska Chair, Cairns Art Gallery Foundation
MEMBERSHIP PROGRAM PARTNERS
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DIARY DATES
JUNE
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KIDS ART CLUB WITH HAYLEY GILLESPIE 10AM-12PM - SATURDAY
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FINAL DAY VINCENT BABIA KOEY BUWAI MAB: MIGRATION FROM SAIBAI ISLAND TO CAPE YORK
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YOGA IN THE GALLERY 5.30-6.30PM - MONDAYS (CLASSES RUN WEEKLY)
ADULT ART CLASS SCREEN PRINTING WITH JIM REA 5.30-7.30PM - MONDAYS 3 WEEK COURSE STARTS
JULY 1-12 SCHOOL HOLIDAY WORKSHOPS FULL DETAILS PAGE 33 10
CIAF 2019 EXHIBITION OPENING EVENT 6PM
QUEEN’S LAND 11-11.45am
11 CIAF 2019 EXHIBITION TALKS 31
JULY CONT. 11
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NAOMI HOBSON ADOLESCENT WONDERLAND 11.45am-12pm
BLACK BAMBOO CONTEMPORARY BAMBOO FURNITURE DESIGN FROM MER 12-12:30PM LEVEL 3 ART CLASS 3.30-5PM - MONDAYS TERM 3 STARTS
ADULT ART CLASS ILLUSTRATE YOUR IMAGINATION WITH HAYLEY GILLESPIE 5.30-7.30PM - MONDAYS 3 WEEK COURSE STARTS CREATIVE TODDLERS PROGRAM 10-10.45AM TERM 3 STARTS LEVEL 1 ART CLASS 3.45-4.45AM TERM 3 STARTS
LEVEL 2 ART CLASS 3.30-5PM - WEDNESDAYS TERM 3 STARTS
AUGUST CONT. 3
KIDS ART CLUB WITH HAYLEY GILLESPIE 10AM-12PM - SATURDAY
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DIGITAL DRAWING WORKSHOP FOR KIDS 1–3PM
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AUGUST 1
2 3
LEVEL 3 ART CLASS 3.30-5PM - THURSDAYS TERM 3 STARTS
KIDS FINE ART CLASSES @ KEWARRA BEACH HALL 3.30-5PM - THURSDAYS TERM 3 STARTS
PAINTING INTENSIVE CLASS 3.30-5PM - FRIDAYS TERM 3 STARTS
LEVEL 2 ART CLASS 10.30AM-12PM - SATURDAYS TERM 3 STARTS
YOUNG CREATIVES CLUB WITH HAYLEY GILLESPIE 3-5PM - SATURDAY
FINAL DAY QUEEN’S LAND: BLAK PORTRAITURE LATE 19TH CENTURY TO THE PRESENT
FINAL DAY NAOMI HOBSON ADOLESCENT WONDERLAND FINAL DAY RESISTANCE ONLINE VIDEO WORK BY COEN YOUTH
YOUNG CREATIVES CLUB WITH HAYLEY GILLESPIE 3-5PM - SATURDAY
ADULT ART CLASS 19 BOTANICAL DRAWING AND PAINTING WITH JULIE MCENERNY 5.30-7.30PM - MONDAYS 4 WEEK COURSE STARTS 21
EXHIBITION OPENING EVENT & ARTIST TALK 6PM PATRICIA PICCININI LIFE CLINGS CLOSEST
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FINAL DAY BLACK BAMBOO CONTEMPORARY BAMBOO FURNITURE DESIGN FROM MER
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EXHIBITION OPENS CONNECTING NARRATIVES
EXHIBITION OPENING EVENT & ARTIST TALK 2PM HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS
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» CREATIVE LEARNING PROGRAMS »BOOKINGS ESSENTIAL
WWW.CAIRNSARTGALLERY.COM.AU
• CHILDREN UNDER 6 YEARS OF AGE MUST BE WITH AN ADULT GUARDIAN * • ARTISTS AND TECHNIQUES ARE CORRECT AT TIME OF PRINTING • CAIRNS ART GALLERY MAY VARY PROGRAM CONTENT WHERE NECESSARY
BAMBOO STRUCTURES WITH ADRIENNE SHAW, ARTIST & TEACHER Ages 7–10 years | 10–11.30am Cost $15 ($18 non-members) OR
Ages 11-15 years | 1–3pm Cost $18 ($21 non-members)
»SCHOOL HOLIDAY WORKSHOPS
Be inspired by Black Bamboo: Contemporary Furniture Design From Mer, and use your imagination and creative skills to make a sculptural object from bamboo and other materials supplied.
MONDAY 1 JULY
THURSDAY 4 JULY
BUSH MEDICINE WITH HEATHER KOOWOOTHA, ARTIST Ages 6–9 years | 10–11.30am Cost $14 ($17 non-members) OR.
Ages 10–15 years | 1–3pm Cost $17 ($19 non-members) Listen, learn about & draw bush medicinal plants. Heather Koowootha will share knowledge about identifying bush medicinal plants and their uses. Heather is a Wik-Mungkan and Yidinji/Djabugay woman and has traditional bush medicine knowledge from both her father’s and her mother’s country.
TUESDAY 2 JULY
PICASSO STYLE STILL LIFE WITH SANDY HABLETHWAITE, ARTIST & TEACHER Ages 5– 7 years* | 10 – 11.30am Cost $14 ($17 non-members) OR
Ages 8 - 12 years | 1 – 3pm Cost $17 ($19 non-members) Cut an existing still life drawing into pieces and then use collage techniques to reassemble the pieces, juxtaposing them in different ways to create a completely new artwork. 33
WEDNESDAY 3 JULY
DESIGN WORKSHOP WITH SANDY HABLETHWAITE, ARTIST & TEACHER Ages 6-9 years | 10–11.30am Cost $15 ($18 non-members) OR
Ages 10–14 years | 1–3pm Cost $18 ($21 non-members) Experiment with different design techniques and colour effects, while learning how to use different materials and stencils to create different shapes and textures to create a two-dimensional artwork.
FRIDAY 5 JULY
PAINTING A STORY WITH HANNAH PARKER, ARTIST Ages 6-9 years | 10.00–11.30am Cost $15 ($18 non-members) OR
Ages 9-14 years | 1-3pm Cost $18 ($21 non-members) Hannah will share two traditional stories and encourage children to imagine the characters and elements from the stories before drawing and painting them in their imagined environment
MONDAY 8 JULY
WEAVING WITH MEIYIN AHNSUZ, ARTIST & DISABILITY ARTS FACILITATOR Ages 7-10 years | 10am–12pm Cost $18 ($21 non-members)
Create a weaving using a mixture of traditional and contemporary weaving techniques. Choose different colours and textures from materials supplied to make a hanging or free-standing object. OR
Ages 9–14 years | 1–3.30pm Cost $21 ($25 non-members) For the more adventurous, explore how to use weaving to create a self-portrait.
TUESDAY 9 JULY
CERAMICS WITH MARIAN WOLFS, ARTIST
COASTER/BASKET FROM RECYCLED MATERIALS WITH MICHELLE TORRENS, ARTIST Ages 8–12 years | 1–3pm Cost $18 ($21 non-members)
Learn techniques to transform and weave old newspapers and recycled materials into a coaster or basket
»DIGITAL DRAWING WORKSHOP FOR KIDS SATURDAY 10 AUGUST
DIGITAL DRAWING & PAINTING WITH PEGGY LANE, DESIGNER Ages 8-12 years | 1–3pm Cost $16 ($19 non-members)
Create a bird sculpture using air-dying clay and mixed media.
Create an artwork using an iPad. Inspired by works in Queen’s Land Blak Portraiture and Adolescent Wonderland, indigenous designer Peggy Lane will teach participants how to develop a digital self-portrait that combines photographic images to enhance notions of identity.
TUESDAY 9 JULY
At the end of the workshop participants will print and frame their work to take home.
Ages 6–9 years 10–11.30am Cost $16.00 ($19.00 non-members)
BANGLE FROM RECYCLED MATERIALS WITH MICHELLE TORRENS, ARTIST Ages 8–12 years | 1–3pm Cost $18 ($21 non-members)
Explore ways to use recycled materials to make on-trend, fashionista bangles.
WEDNESDAY 10 JULY
FANTASY HOBBY HORSE WITH CRYSTAL TRAETTINO-HAMS, TEACHER Ages 4-7 years* | 10–11.30am Cost $14 ($17 non-members)
Create a fantasy hobby-horse using a variety of artistic materials to bring it to life.
»GALLERY ART SCHOOL CREATIVE TODDLERS PROGRAM WITH CRYSTAL TRAETTINO-HAMS, TEACHER
2–5 years with parent or carer Cost $70 ($80 non-members) Tuesdays 10.00–10.45am Term 3: 30 July, 6, 13, 20. 27 August, 3 September This program provides an early introduction to the arts and the Gallery for the very young. Children will experience a variety of creative activities relating to the Gallery exhibits.
FRIDAY 12 JULY
BUSH CREATURES WITH MEIYIN AHNSUZ, ARTIST & DISABILITY ARTS FACILITATOR Ages 5–11 years* | 10am–12pm Cost $18 ($21 non-members)
In this all-abilities workshop, children will learn how to create bush creature sculptures using natural and found material and incorporating innovative knotting techniques. 34
»GALLERY ART SCHOOL VISUAL ARTS ENRICHMENT PROGRAMS The GALLERY ART SCHOOL offers visual arts enrichment programs that are designed for school aged children, from early primary school right through to college.
LEVEL 1
5 - 7 years with parent/carer optional Tuesdays 3.45 - 4.45pm Term 3: 30 July, 6, 13, 20. 27 August, 3 September Term 4: 15, 22, 29 October, 5, 12, 19 November Cost $75 ($85 non-members) A six-week program designed for early primary school-aged children. Meiyin Ahnsuz will teach the children a range of introductory art skills based on the exhibitions on display to complement what they study at school.
Grade 5 - 6 Fridays 3.30 – 5pm Term 3: 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 August, 6 September Term 4: 18, 25 October, 1, 8, 15, 22 November Cost per full semester $200 ($230 non-members)
KIDS FINE ART CLASSES @ KEWARRA BEACH HALL WITH MARIAN WOLFS, ARTIST
8 - 12 years Thursdays 3.30 – 5pm Term 3: 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 August, 5 September Term 4: 17, 24, 31 October, 7, 14, 21 November Cost per full semester $200 ($230 non-members) This outreach program runs over twelve weeks including six classes in Term 3 and six classes in Term 4.
LEVEL 2
»GALLERY KIDS ART CLUB WITH HAYLEY GILLESPIE
or
AGES 8 – 12 years Saturdays 10am – 12pm Block 2: 1 June, 3 August, 7 September Cost per three-month block $24 ($30 non-members)
8 - 11 years Wednesdays 3.30 – 5pm Term 3: 31 July, 7, 14, 21, 28 August, 4 September Term 4: 16, 23, 30 October, 6, 13, 20 November Saturdays 10.30am – 12pm Term 3: 3, 10, 17, 24, 31 August, 7 September Term 4: 19, 26 October, 2, 9, 16, 23 November Cost per full semester $200 ($230 non-members)
LEVEL 3
11 - 16 years Mondays 3.30 – 5pm Term 3: 29 July, 5, 12, 19, 26 August, 2 September Term 4: 14, 21, 28 October, 4, 11, 18 November or
Thursdays 3.30 – 5pm Term 3: 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 August, 5 September Term 4: 17, 24, 31 October, 7, 14, 21 November Cost per full semester $220 ($240 non-members)
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PAINTING INTENSIVE CLASS
Our special club for children aged 8 – 12 years is all about creative experiences and activities with ART as the focus. Designed by artist Hayley Gillespie club activities are full of fun and a great way for kids to make new creative friends. The two-hour Art Club sessions are held at the Gallery or other inner city locations. Kids will be introduced to new ways of looking at, talking and thinking about art, craft and design, including fashion, architecture and theatre. In some instances, sessions may involve individual or collective art making, in which case materials will be provided. Parents are asked to take kids to and from pre-arranged locations if required.
»YOUNG CREATIVES CLUB WITH HAYLEY GILLESPIE AGES 13 - 17 YEARS Saturdays 3.00 – 5.00pm 3, 17 August, 7, 21 September, 5, 19 October, 2, 16 November, 7 December Cost for 2019 membership $90 ($115 non-members) If you are between 13 and 17 years old, join the Gallery Young Creatives Club, which is held on two Saturdays each month, from 3pm to 5pm. Now in its second year, the Club is an opportunity for teenagers to share artistic skills and brainstorm ideas. This year’s program combines art and business - designing and produce products for sale. This involves making a prototype, costing goods for market, and presentation of design concepts to a panel for feedback before producing items for sale to Christmas shoppers. During the year Young Creatives will also design and host a drop-in children’s workshop to learn about ways to entertain and work with younger children - skills that are essential for a career in art and education. Sessions are held at the Gallery but may occasionally be at different locations in Cairns, in which case parents are asked to facilitate transport for their teens.
»ADULT ART CLASSES SCREEN PRINTING WITH JIM REA, ART TUTOR MONDAYS: 5.30 – 7.30pm (3-WEEK ART COURSE) 10, 17, 24 June Cost $110 ($130 non-members) Participants will be guided through the process of creating their own design, exposing it to the screen using photosensitive emulsion, and then printing in multiple colours on textile. Participants have the option to bring their own screen or use a screen from the Gallery.
ILLUSTRATE YOUR IMAGINATION WITH HAYLEY GILLESPIE MONDAYS: 5.30 – 7.30pm (3-WEEK ART COURSE) 29 July, 5, 12 August Cost $90 ($110 non-members) During this 3-week art course, Hayley Gillespie will share techniques on how to develop visual imagery from a personal response or emotional connection to a written piece of work. Participants will then illustrate sections of their chosen story or poem, which they have brought along to the class. BOTANICAL DRAWING AND PAINTING CLASS WITH JULIE MCENERNY, ARTIST MONDAYS: 5.30 – 7.30pm (4-WEEK ART COURSE) 19, 26 August, 2 , 9 September Cost $120 ($140 non-members) Julie McEnerny will share her master skills as a botanical painter to develop participants’ ability to represent simple botanical specimens artistically, using watercolour pencils.
»YOGA IN THE GALLERY MONDAYS: 5.30 – 6.30pm 3, 10, 17 June, 8, 15, 22, 29 July, 5, 12, 19, 26 August, 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 September Cost for a five-class pass $56 ($70 non-members) Conducted in the peaceful setting of the Gallery, participants will be guided through various yoga techniques, including learning postures, meditation and breathing techniques to improve core strength, mind and body. Our qualified and experienced yoga instructor Jeany Schall will guide the class, offering the highest and latest standards of modern yoga practice.
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ART FOR YOUR HOME
DESIGNED BY LEADING REGIONAL ARTISTS
» VISIT US Cnr Abbott & Shields St, Cairns M to F: 9am – 5pm Sat: 10am – 5pm Sun: 10am – 2pm Closed on Public Holidays 07 4046 4800 shop@cairnsartgallery.com.au www.cairnsartgallery.com.au Cairns.Art.Gallery @cairnsartgallery @cairnsgallery CairnsArtGallery GALLERY SPONSORS
VIP PROGRAM PARTNER
MEMBERSHIP PROGRAM PARTNERS
The Cairns Art Gallery is a proud supporter of the Indigenous Art Code
IMAGE COVER Naomi HOBSON Road Play “She told Mum she was taking me for a ride down the road but she not.” Laine 2019 digital print 81 x 110 cm Courtesy of the artist 38