The influence of Aboriginal art is very present in my subconscious and in my paintings and it is with this idea in mind that I went to see the exhibition “Spinifex People: Art and Stories of Pila Nguru” at the Boola Bardip Museum in Perth. The exhibition is a modern story with ancient origins, celebrating the creativity and resilience of a unique Aboriginal community through their art, images and words.
At the entrance, we are greeted by this quote: “This is our story and the history of our Spinifex Art Project. The old people were born in this Country and painting helped get this Country back.”
Aboriginal art is not simply a succession of small dots on a surface. It is a form of communication to tell history, geography, myths and legends among other things. I was left speechless in front of the paintings and the power that emerges from them. There is so much to learn from these artists that it would take years to begin to understand their art. In my next life I will need to be Australian.
The Spinifex Art Project is also about creating art as a community. Several artists get together and paint on a canvas and, trough their art, tell their personal story. Artistic creation then takes on a universal dimension because it contains a multitude of points of views and the richness it contains becomes inestimable. The artwork is no more personal but a collective view.
I have always been captivated by Aboriginal Art and since I was a child I thought I had a connection with it. After seeing these original paintings, I understood that they not only have a connection with our eyes or mind but with our soul. I realised that my art is still very far from what I would like it to be and that I need to work twice as hard to be able to put on canvas the essence of my feelings. As the Aboriginal artists do.
The “Spinifex People: Art and Stories of Pila Nguru” exhibition has been a sort of wake-up call for me like no other exhibition has done before.
Comments