S PR ING/S U MME R 2021― 22
Collection Peek In May 2021, the inaugural ‘2320 Collectors Club’ event was held at MRAG, an evening during which participants donated funds for the acquisition of a new artwork into the MRAG Collection. The “Collectors” were presented with five artworks, selected by MRAG curators, one of which would be purchased after a vote.
New Acquisitions
The beautiful painting Warmurrungu by Western Desert artist Nyarapayi Giles was chosen after a tight vote. In this work Giles paints the tjukurrpa (stories) of Warmurrungu, a special ceremonial site near Karku (her birthplace), depicting the travels of emus of the Dreamtime and the rockholes at which they stopped.
Nyarapayi Giles, Warmurrungu
In an unexpected, but very delightful turn of events, two of the 2320 Collectors very generously made an extra donation so that the second most popular work of the night, Tumbling through treetops, by Sydney-based artist Tamara Dean, could also be acquired. During lockdown, Dean created a series of photographs using her own body as the figurative element within a natural landscape, at times appearing emboldened, as in this work, and in others appearing to flee from an invisible threat. This timely work reflects the duality of Dean’s psychological response to the pandemic, from claustrophobia and anxiety to a sense of release and connection to nature.
2015, Acrylic on canvas, 106.5 x 101cm Purchased for the MRAG Collection in 2021 with the assistance of the 2320 Collectors Club
Tamara Dean Tumbling through the treetops 2020, Eco-solvent pigment print, 110 x 160cm Purchased for the MRAG Collection in 2021 with the assistance of the 2320 Collectors Club
Words: Cheryl Farrell, Collection Curator 28
