NAIDOC EXHIBITION
We at Nissarana Galleries acknowledge the land we work and exhibition on as Wurundjeri Country. We recognise the people of the Kulin Nation as its Traditional Owners.
We pay our respects to all First Nation Australians. We pay our respects to their elders, past, present and future. We pay our respects to their incredible relationship to creativity and art making, and acknowledge that they have been creating art on this land for over 80,000 years.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people seeing this catalogue and exhibition are advised that it may contain images, voices, artworks and stories of people who have passed away.
All care is taken to ensure cultural respect. However, if something appears on this page that causes distress please let us know.
Index
Introduction
Bianca Gardiner Dodd
Dave Hartley
Visuddhacara
Kurun Warun
Rex Winston Walford
Emma Newton
Jeannie Pitjara (Petyarre)
Bronwyn Raven Purrula
Lindsay Bird Mpetyane
Karen Bird
Derick
Dolly
Barbara
First Nation Australian’s have been making art for over 80,000 years. As the oldest living culture in the world, the history of their art practices is both diverse and distinct. There is something unexplainable about sitting with an artwork that was made over 30,000 years ago, such is the feeling when we think about the 100,000 significant rock art sites that exist across the Australian landscape.
All cultures use imagery to tell stories. Since the beginning of mankind, it has enabled us to give form and character to our narratives. Art is and always has been, integral to First Nation culture. Although it only began to be recognised by the wider public around 1971 when mission worker Geoffrey Bardon was assigned as an art teacher in Papunya, Northern Territory. He had noticed that when the men were telling stories, they drew symbols in the sand. Bardon encouraged them to paint these symbols, and therefore their Dreaming's, onto the towns walls, canvas’ and board. Thus, began the famous Papunya Tula Art Movement, and all the wonderful years of a recognised Indigenous art practice that followed.
There are over 500 different Indigenous Nations that shape what we call Aboriginal Australia. It is vital to understand that each of these groups have varying cultures, practices, beliefs and languages although they were and still are closely interrelated, through trade, dance, marriage and community.
It is also important to note that many First Nation Australian’s live traditionally on country, however the majority live in a more urban setting in the cities and towns across the country. It is here where they maintain their culture, through their art and traditional practices. Nissarana Galleries proudly represents a large cross section of Indigenous artists.
For the whole month of July, Nissarana Galleries is showing a large and exciting selection of First Nation artworks. Our exhibition showcases the broad and distinct styles that shape Indigenous art practices, celebrating their skill, variety and importance to Australia’s art canon. Each painting that is shown in this catalogue represents a specific culture and Dreaming to the artist who paints it
We are grateful to all of the artists who were willing to be apart of our NAIDOC 2024 Exhibition, and we want to express our sincere respect and admiration for their art practices and their culture. We pay respect to their ancestors, and we pay our respects to them as the Traditional Owners of this land which we call Australia.
Bianca
Gardiner Dodd
Dancing Waters, Gwongorella
Acrylic on canvas, Oak Frame, 123 x 102cm
This painting narrates the story and journey of water and how it moves through and across the land on Kamilaroi Country. It shows the valleys in the upper Hinterlands, and how water has left its legacy in the isolated billabongs, sweeping bows and the rutted edifices. Water is full bodied and essential, its mass moves through these valleys and down to the coast, nourishing all the flora and fauna it touches as it passes. Water is life, it is the ocean and the rain, the leaves and the flowers. It is both urgent and soft, smooth and abrasive. It is like a dancer who travels across time, land and space, heading through Kamilaroi Country for its final destination: The Great Southern Ocean.
Deep in Country
Acrylic on canvas, Dark Wood Frame, 150 x 250cm
This piece represents Gardiner Dodd’s feeling when she is on Country with her family. It pays tribute to the energetic spirit of her mother, and to the native plants and animals she gathers around. Take note of the rich brown undertones in the rainbow-esc channel, the flawlessly placed dots, and the intelligence of her layers.
Bianca Gardiner Dodd
Bianca Gardiner Dodd
Commune
Acrylic on canvas, 150 x 250cm
Immersion
Acrylic on canvas, Oak frame, each panel is 230 x 29cm (sold as triptych)
Bianca Gardiner Dodd
Bianca Gardiner Dodd
Immersion
“The lifeblood of the land! The food source, the connective pulse, the multitentacled communicative arm. All these and more represent the legacy and ongoing function of the meandering river as it cuts a swathe through the traditional lands of the highland communities. It’s always been theresearching, burrowing and penetrating deep, deep corridors into the resistant rocky landscape of the rich hinterland valleys.
The eroded precipices and undulating hillsides provide rich pockets of fertile soils from which bountiful (impenetrable in places) rainforests dwell providing a multi-layered canopy, under storey & ground cover rich in fauna and flora. All this whilst relentlessly & timelessly surging towards the lower coastal slopes and plains. The ancient communities of this timeless land eke out their daily existence & sustenance from this this life giving vessel. Protected and secure within their geographical isolation and stoney bulwarks that the river has created And life through the eons continues as it always has deep within the valleys.”
Bianca Gardiner Dodd
Kamilaroi/Gamilaroi
Her mother Gloria Gardiner, a prominent Aboriginal artist of the Northern Rivers, was born in the Aboriginal community of Goodooga, Northwest of NSW. The traditional land of the Kamilaroi/Gamilaroi peoples. Bianca has family ties to the Bundjalung lands of the Tweed and Byron coasts through her husband who is a Bundjalung man, and children.
Many of the symbols within her art represent her interpretation of coastal life, harmony and unity. Bianca’s art is another platform to articulate her creative journey, from young dancer, to adult teacher, choreographer and a contemporary Aboriginal artist.
Dave Hartley
Saltwater
Acrylic on canvas, Oak Frame, 125 x 155cm
“Water has always acted as a meeting place and giver of life Here on the Coast, we still gather to surf, play and fish (hunt). We also remember our ancestors of all cultures who lived their lives so close to and within the waterways.
My people, the Barunggam people of Chinchilla are freshwater people, and I’ve had the privilege to live near the saltwater of Kombumerri country my whole life. This is the first piece I’ve attempted with text embedded in the background.”
Dave Hartley
Deeper Water
Acrylic on canvas, Oak Frame, 94 x 185cm
“Look closely, you’ll see the ripples of the sandbank under the white water.
Eugarie (pippie) season sees these little creatures, sitting below the sand, sleeping to the sounds of the rolling tides and oxygenated by the white water bubbling above. Part of our coastal ecosystem, they provide balance and sustenance for all life forms on Country.”
Dave Hartley Barunggam
Dave was born on the Gold Coast in 1979. His people are the Barunggam People, the traditional owners of Chinchilla in south-west Queensland’s Darling Downs district.
As an artist and writer, Dave is inspired and connected to the waterways and landforms of Kombumerri Country on which he was raised and the fresh waters of western Queensland. Dave’s art is reflective of his love of surfing, fishing and the elements surrounding his family in the outdoors
Visuddhacara
Kooyang - Eel Dreaming
Acrylic on Linen, 170 x 300cm
“This is a deadly story, a yarn of significance. The eels come from a place a long way away, they are born in the sea, nobody really knows where. Swimming a long way until they come into the lakes and rivers where they try to find fresh water to live. They swim and crawl a long way to reach a good pond There the Gunditjmara people would make the tubular traps woven from grasses combined with ‘yerrok’ or stick barriers catch them. When caught the men would pull them up onto the banks at night and put them out on the ground, making all the children scream as the eels were dropped and wriggled around their feet.
This is my Grandma’s and Mother’s story which they told me when I was a young boy. My Grandma was at Lake Condah mission in Western Victoria and then at Lake Tyres mission in Gippsland Victoria. The Gunditjmara people inhabited the Lake Condah area and built a system of dams to trap the eels They would then smoked the eels inside big trees in order preserve them to have a food source all year round as well as trading with them other nations. This area is now known by the Gunditjmara as Budj Bim (Big Head) and is the oldest known aquaculture in the world.”
The Wanderers
“This painting has over 40 layers of dots, all made up of different shades of blues, greens, reds, black and white. Underneath the last few layers are swaying seaweed strands, subtle and present.
This is a tribute to the magnificent Eagle Ray, they are the wanderers throughout the oceans and shores.”
Visuddhacara
Acrylic on Canvas, Black Frame, 130 x 230cm
Visuddhacara
Willan Willan
Acrylic on Canvas, White Frame, 90 x 60cm
“Willan’, the Yellow-tail Black Cockatoo is a totem and protecting guiding spirit of the Gunditjmara. It calls to warn the people of any coming danger. It is also a connection for our people to our Dreamtime and gives guidance and approval of our actions. Socially it unifies the different groups of the Gunditjmara and is a reminder of their lasting strength of spirit and duty to their culture.
All my life, I have loved this special being, it comes and goes like the moon, never staying for long First you hear it, then you see it, always in that order, leaving you with a sense of joy and optimism long after it has gone.
This is a painting of the unity and the cultural groups that make up the Gunditjmara and how ‘Willan Willan’ is their protecting spirit totem.
Ancestor - Bringer of Wisdom
Acrylic on Canvas, Black Frame, 150 x 150cm
“This one is the old lady of the sea who carries our wisdom and knowledge so that we never forget.”
Visuddhacara
Visuddhacara Gunditjmara
Visuddhacara Philip Ayres is an artist originally from Baraba Baraba, Wemba Wemba and Yorta Yorta country, North Western of Victoria and South Western of NSW. His creative disciplines consist of painting and fine art photography
Visuddhacara has been connecting to his heritage through artistic expression since the early 1970’s. During that time he studied photography under the great photographic master Athol Shmith, a close compatriot of Max Dupain, John Cato and film maker Paul Cox (all NGV) and fine-art painting at the tertiary level. He also spent many years as a solitary meditation Buddhist Monk practising the deeper meditative techniques of the Buddha, in the forest monasteries and rain forest caves of South East.
His expression and interpretation of the environment around him has been his primary subject. The intrinsic energy, nourishment and spirit that makes up our land is a principle focus in most of his artworks. Through his grandmother he has connection to Gunditjmara ( Dhauwurd Wurrung) at ‘Tae Rak’ (Lake Condah Mission) in Gunditjmara country and ‘Bungyarnda’ (Lake Tyers Mission) in Gunai/Kurnai country. He recalls his younger days when he used to connect and dance with the spirits and his mother told stories of earlier days on country. The ancient landscape has a spiritual depth and cultural wealth that have inspired many of his works. ‘Eel Dreaming’ and the Ocean Spirits are major subjects of his finest work. Through using the very best photographic and fine art painting techniques, he has represented the land in uplifting photographic panoramas and paintings that have a deeper cultural and personal meaning. His works have won multiple awards both nationally and internationally and are in collections around the world.
Matang Waddama Ochre Dance
Acrylic on Linen, 122 x 183cm
“This is the story of a dance between my creator and me.
The ochre colourings at the base of the painting represent the earth. The lighter colourings towards the top of the painting represent the heavens A distinct focal point is a connection between the earth and the sky, which is expressed through earthy reds, and crisp whites that then travel into gentle browns. Each painting is unique and holds a story. This story is one of appreciation.
The message is not discernable straight away, but looking closer, you can see the channels that are connecting us to what is above and how they work in harmony.The sky and the earth have been doing this magnificent dance for a long time.”
Kurun Warun
Kurun Warun
Gunditjmara
“I had my first exhibition, alongside my mother when I was 8 years old. In my later years, I developed my own style using the inspiration of the natural elements that surrounded me. Elements such as slow-moving rivers, the stones underneath them, and the eels that swim through them. The dust of the earth. The sea and the creatures that swim in it. My Aboriginal dot paintings have a traditional meaning, which is not always immediately noticed, but within the colours, lines, and space, you can see an underlying story. My use of contrasts are done so that the overall piece is left striking but peaceful.
Being a family man, my paintings tell stories of my childhood and of my own children. My mother came from the Framlingham Mission near Warnambool, and this is the mission my relative Archie Roach sang about. My mother was the one who trained and inspired me to be an artist. This means a lot to me, and that’s why I love teaching my children.I appreciate my heritage, and I am privileged to be the fifth generation from the Truganini Queen of Tasmania.
My work has caught international interest and has become collectables for people diverse as Oprah and the Prince of Saudi Arabia. While my main work is now painting, I also like playing the didgeridoo and dancing. I have performed for many people around the world and international guests. Overall I love and appreciate my family and the natural world around me. This is shared in my artwork."
Acrylic on canvas, Black Frame, 125 x 185cm
As a child, and while living in a white community with white parents, Winston would look up at the stars and the huge Milky Way and know that his Aboriginal family lived under these same skies. The galaxy granted him solace, pride and a family away from home.
Rex Winston Walford
Golden Milky Way
Acrylic on canvas, 30 x 30cm
Acrylic on canvas, 30 x 30cm
Rex Winston Walford
Milky Way
Milky Way
Rex Winston Walford Gamilaroi
Adopted by a white family at three months old, Winston’s interest in his birth mother and his Aboriginal heritage was sparked when he first began painting. He found himself drawn to using traditional styles of dots and mark making. With the support of his adopted parents, Winston located his birth mother and father much later in his adult life.
As a child, Rex would look up to the stars and the huge Milky Way galaxy and know that his Aboriginal family lived under the same sky. It was this feeling of connection, that of which was granted to him through the stars, that helped him feel close to his culture. The comfort in knowing that he could look up at the Milky Way and see the same stars that his mother and father were gazing upon. The same stars his ancestors used to gaze upon. The skies continue to give Rex an important spiritual connection to his Country and his cultural past.
“Although the stories of my ancestors can now only be heard in the blowing of the breeze, I can always feel their presence when I gaze into the stars.”
Illustrating the movement and the magic of the water in a spring tide, this painting speaks to that special and spiritual moment when the sun and the moon seem to be in line with each other. It is a piece about balance, harmony and connection.
“Mother nature, you never cease to amaze”
Emma Newton
Spring Tide
Acrylic on Canvas, Oak Frame, 101 x 86cm
Emma Newton
Calm in Country - Dreaming
“A piece that is inspired by the magic patterns that can be found within geological formations on country (yes I’m the daughter of a geologist, rocks are big in our family).
I have always loved the veins that you see in rocks. The amazing crystal formations that tell a story of thousands and thousands of years ago. These formations provide constant connection to all things in the past.”
Acrylic on Canvas, Oak Frame, 101 x 86cm
Stargazer
Acrylic on Canvas, Oak Frame, 41 x 51cm
When we look up at the stars, there is a feeling that wells up in us that seems to stop time Where form is replaced by the formless, and the silence of the stars seems to fill us with magic. It is a peace that can only be gifted to us by nature, a connection that can only be formed by sun, stars and moon. This painting by Newton speaks to the hours she dedicated to stargazing when she was a child, a practice she how carries out with her own little ones.
Emma Newton
Emma Newton
Arrernte
As a proud Arrente woman who lives on Kabi Kabi Country, Newton finds both solace and passion in her art practice. It being just one of the many ways she connects with and expresses her Indigenous culture. With a career as an environmental scientist and cultural heritage specialist, Newton’s paintings are inspired by a range of sources, from the remote Australian landscapes to the coastal pandanus trees.
*Can be hung both ways
Jeannie Pitjara (Petyarre)
Bush Medicine Leaves
Acrylic on canvas, Black Frame, 203 x 104cm
Jeannie Pitjara (Petyarre)
(1951 - 2022)
Utopia
Jeannie Pitjara was born in the early 1950’s at Boundary Bore, an outstation of the Utopia region in Central Australia. She is a member of the very famous family of Aboriginal artists who have been a founding influence in the worldrenowned Australian Aboriginal Art movement that has flourished over the past 50 years
Jeannie is the niece of the late great Emily Kame Kngwarreye who is considered the founding mother of Indigenous painting practices. Her sister is Rosemary Petyarre, another famous Aboriginal artist.
As one of the foremost artists at Utopia NT she is most well known for her Bush Yam Medicine leaves paintings that have their origins in the pencil yam plant This plant is celebrated in their twelve women’s ceremonies
(Awelye) in dance, song lines and body paint. The ritual is practiced to pay respect to the seed and ensure its continued germination. The plant is a staple bush tucker food and is an important part of Dreaming in Utopia. This painting represents the interweaving of the leaves of the pencil yam plant, its medicinal properties and the Bush Leaf Dreaming.
Bronwyn Raven Purrula
Ininti
Acrylic on canvas, 22 x 60cm
*Can be hung both ways
“The red bean of the bean-tree used to make necklaces. Women collect Ininti beans and pierce them for threading. Ininti bean trees can be found along the dry river bed of the Todd River that runs alongside Alice Springs.
The aerial view of this painting represents the strung Ininti beans laid across the shifting white sand in the Todd River. It an also be seen as the clifftops between dry sandy river beds through the Central Australian desert. Ininti beans are found in many shades of colours from red to orange and they are traditionally work as necklaces.”
Bronwyn Raven Purrula
Seven Sisters - Milky Way Dreaming
Acrylic on canvas, 30 x 100cm
*Can be hung both ways
“This painting represents the story of the Seven Sisters from Southern Pitjantjatjara homelands. The U-shapes represent the Seven sisters seen with feathered hair belts used during INMA - a ceremony of song and dance. The hair belt is held tight at each end and is used in a digging motion. the white is the salt lake where the sisters continued their journey through the ‘never never.’ The circles in the salt lake are the many sites where the sisters visited.
The red circles represent the Seven Sisters as they appear as a star constellation in the Milky Way. The centre shows the view through the opening of the cave where the sisters sent time looking out at the night sky. The background colours are the many habitats of the desert.”
Bronwyn Raven Purrula
The Journey of Jandamarra
Acrylic on canvas, 33 x 124cm
“This painting represents the journey of Jandamarra 1873 - 1897, a real outlaw who led the Bunuba Resistance through the Kimberly in Western Australia in 1894. The red U-shapes are Aboriginal people and the blue U-shapes are white people.
The white bird tracks travelling back through the landscape from the headless body of Jandamarra represents his journey, and the way he was known as ‘pigeon’ for his affectionate and cheeky personality. He was small and ran fast and the police chasing Jandamarra were in awe of his ability to cross rugged ranges with no effect on his bare feet. He was able to disappear without a trace into tunnels in the mountains and held a mythological reputation as a Magic Man.
The red U-shape facing a group of red and blue shapes at the beginning of the bird tracks represents an Aboriginal storyteller sharing the journey of Jandamarra to generations of Aboriginal and white people. The background colours are the many habitats of the Kimberly”
Bronwyn Raven Purrula Arrente
Bronwyn is a Melbourne based artist and a dancer and has participated in Aboriginal Dance groups around Australia. Born in 1963 and educated in Queensland, she is connected to the Arrernte Peoples in Central Australia around Uluru (Ayers Rock). Despite “being mixed blood” Bronwyn has been granted the right by her community to paint several totems, leading her to public art opportunities such as painting totems for Centre Link in Alice Springs.
She paints under the name of Bronwyn Raven PURRULA from Arunda, Northern Territory, Australia.
Linen,
198 x 108cm, *Can be hung both ways
Lindsay Bird
Mpetyane
Ahekeye Bush Plum
Acrylic on Belgium
Black Frame,
Lindsay Bird Mpetyane (1942 - 2024)
Anmatyerre
As one of the first few men to work with the batik medium along the women of Utopia in the 70’s, Lindsay bird played an instrumental role in helping the paintings that came out of the Utopia region collectable and appreciated.
Lindsay is represented in many private and public collections across Australia and overseas. He has also been published in books such as 'A Picture Story-Robert Holmes a Court collection' and 'The Art of Utopia' by Michael Boulter.
After Emily Kame Kngwarreye, Lindsay Bird was one of the first Aboriginal artists to have solo exhibitions. His work is uniquely characterised by his precision and the way he imposes bold and block colours. His high-quality paintings are keenly sought by collectors throughout the world His painting 'Ammatyerre Country' sold for $29,375.
Karen Bird Ngale
Alaara Story
Acrylic on Belgium Linen, Black Frame, 90 x 90cm
Karen Bird Ngale Anmatyerre
As the daughter of Lindsay Bird Mpetyane, a senior elder and Lawman of Ilkawerne Country, Karen grew up in a small outstation in southern Utopia called Angkula. She attended Mulga Bore primary school in Utopia and later attended Yirrara College in Alice Springs. Karen paints the Alpar Seed story which belongs to her Country, Ilkawerne. She was taught painting by the senior women of Ilkawerne and the stories, songs and dances that come with it.
Alpar, being the Anmatyerre work for the Kalpari, is a native plant to central and western Australia. It grows with small flowers and erect stems, giving it its nickname ‘Rat Tail’. The plant has a strong citrus smell and grows abundantly in the Utopia region on Ilkawerne Country, which is 350 klm north east of Alice Springs. On Country the women gather the plants black seeds, soak them in water and then grind them to make damper. The leaves of the plant are also used to make medicine and is a central part of the Anmatyerre Dreaming.
Derick Peachey
Wiradjuri
“My name is Derick Peachey and I am a proud Wiradjuri man. I was born at Dubbo base hospital, raised in Wellington NSW and now live in the Sutherland Shire with my wife and 2 beautiful daughters.
My painting journey began when I was 16 years old. At this point in my life I was going through a difficult time Painting was a way for me to express my emotions and feelings. I was able to escape into a world of my own and enjoy creating raw authentic art.
The inspiration for all my art comes from my heritage, my upbringing, my journey, my culture and most importantly my family.
My story doesn’t just involve me, as my family play a major part in my story. My biggest value in life is my family. They play a major part of growing up from a young boy to a proud Aboriginal man.
Family is what keeps me grounded, they keep me motivated and inspired. I like to incorporate this into my art. I want to create a connection through my art for people to feel a sense of warmth and belonging.”
Acrylic on canvas, 199 x 88cm
*Can be hung both ways
Dolly Mills Petyarre
Atnwelarre (Pencil Yam)
Dolly Mills Petyarre
Anmatyerre
Dolly Mills Petyarre was born around 1934 at Boundary Bore Outstation in the Utopia Region, Northeast of Alice Springs. Her language group is Anmatyerre and is widely recognised as one of Australia's leading Aboriginal artists. Her work can be seen in major Australian and international collections. Dolly and Gloria (Glory) Mills Petyarre are full sisters to Greeny Purvis Petyarre.
Dolly, like many of the women from Utopia, started creating art with silk batik in the early 80's. She participated in the book "Utopia - A Picture Story", which included 88 silk batiks from the Robert Holmes a Court Collection. This book helped to confirm the artistic credibility of the artists living in the Utopia region of Australia.
Inspired by her most important subject matter "Yam Dreamings", this painting honours the yam and the life it brings to her community as one of the most stable types of bush tucker gathered in the region of Utopia
The yam has a complex root system that can spread up to twelve metres from its stalk. The plant has bright green leaves with yellow flowers, and it branches out over a wide area. It is commonly found in woodland areas and close to a water source.
Barbara Leo Kamara
Anmatyerre
Barbara belongs to the Anmatyerre people who are from the Utopia region in Central Australia. She is from a camp called Ingkwelave, and her traditional country is the area around Coniston NT
Bush Tucker Dreaming
Acrylic on canvas, Black Frame, 100 x 100,
Yarga in the Wind
Acrylic on canvas, Black Frame, 145 x 152cm
Zowie Baumgart
Zowie Baumgart
Kombumerri and Butchella
Born in Canberra but raised on her families traditional country in southern Queensland, Zowie is a self taught artist who works across a diverse spectrum of mediums. She aims to create an interesting, and what she believes to be an essential dialogue between traditional and contemporary Indigenous art practices, hoping to create works that represent a unique expression of the two in conversation.
Her works represent the combined narratives of both her mother and father’s clans – the Kombumerri of South Stradbroke and the Butchulla of Maryborough and Fraser Island.
