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Letters from the Director

Sharing Indigenous Stories

Dear friends,

Art has been an integral part of Indigenous culture throughout time. Year after year, the NGV strengthens its collection of work from First Nations artists, building on holdings of rare nineteenth-century cultural objects and drawings and charting the evolution of contemporary Indigenous art throughout all regions of Australia.

This week, I wanted to share some stories from Indigenous artists whose works are and will soon be on display at The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia. I hope you can experience them in person soon.

Maree Clarke is a Melbourne-based artist and designer and a Yorta Yorta / Wamba Wamba / Mutti Mutti / Boon Wurrung woman. On 11 June, NGV will open the first major retrospective of her work, Maree Clarke: Ancestral Memories, which spans three decades and multiple mediums. This is the first solo exhibition at the NGV by a living artist with ancestral ties to the Country on which the Gallery stands, making this exhibition a momentous milestone in the NGV’s history.

Maree Clarke is a Melbourne-based artist and designer and a Yorta Yorta / Wamba Wamba / Mutti Mutti / Boon Wurrung woman. On 11 June, NGV will open the first major retrospective of her work, Maree Clarke: Ancestral Memories, which spans three decades and multiple mediums. This is the first solo exhibition at the NGV by a living artist with ancestral ties to the Country on which the Gallery stands, making this exhibition a momentous milestone in the NGV’s history.

A standout work in the exhibition is Clarke’s photographic image Long Journey Home, which has been reimagined by the artist as a lightbox. Clarke has used family members as both collaborators and models to depict a re-enacted scene from what looks like a pre-invasion Melbourne, with an ominous skyline showing the modern-day urbanised city in the background. Strikingly, the people in the photograph are adorned with traditional kangaroo-skin cloaks and white river clay paint on their faces, but wear contemporary sneakers and hoodies. This visual juxtaposition of cultures and timeframes reflects Clarke’s ambition to highlight the customary ceremonies, rituals, objects and language of her ancestors within Aboriginal society today.

A standout work in the exhibition is Clarke’s photographic image Long Journey Home, which has been reimagined by the artist as a lightbox. Clarke has used family members as both collaborators and models to depict a re-enacted scene from what looks like a pre-invasion Melbourne, with an ominous skyline showing the modern-day urbanised city in the background. Strikingly, the people in the photograph are adorned with traditional kangaroo-skin cloaks and white river clay paint on their faces, but wear contemporary sneakers and hoodies. This visual juxtaposition of cultures and timeframes reflects Clarke’s ambition to highlight the customary ceremonies, rituals, objects and language of her ancestors within Aboriginal society today.

Born of the Land is a complex video work from Clarke which also plays with the notion of past and present. Clarke is passionate about reclaiming, reviving and sharing art and practices from the south-east. Through her work, she creates contemporary representations of Aboriginal customary practices from the past. Her connection to Country is symbolised in the video by an ethereal display of red dirt. Clarke places herself amongst this red dirt landscape, inviting audiences to see, hear and feel her reclaiming her cultural heritage, before rising up and being born from the land. For this exhibition, Clarke has created a new version of the work that is shown alongside the 2014 version. The new video features her family, also born from Country, connecting her practice throughout time.

Born of the Land is a complex video work from Clarke which also plays with the notion of past and present. Clarke is passionate about reclaiming, reviving and sharing art and practices from the south-east. Through her work, she creates contemporary representations of Aboriginal customary practices from the past. Her connection to Country is symbolised in the video by an ethereal display of red dirt. Clarke places herself amongst this red dirt landscape, inviting audiences to see, hear and feel her reclaiming her cultural heritage, before rising up and being born from the land. For this exhibition, Clarke has created a new version of the work that is shown alongside the 2014 version. The new video features her family, also born from Country, connecting her practice throughout time.

Now open at NGV Australia, Big Weather looks at works within the NGV Collection that explore the importance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural knowledge of landscapes and weather systems. This timely exhibition looks at what we can learn from this intimate understanding of our place within Country, and how this can better help us adapt for the future in a changing climate. A standout work in the exhibition is a newly created possum skin cloak, crafted by Yorta Yorta artist Treahna Hamm in response to the catastrophic bushfires of 2019/20. Taking inspiration from the book  Dark Emu  by Bruce Pascoe, Hamm draws on imagery that speaks to her ancestral connections to the land and sends a message to younger generations, encouraging them to maintain a strong connection to their culture.

Now open at NGV Australia, Big Weather looks at works within the NGV Collection that explore the importance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural knowledge of landscapes and weather systems. This timely exhibition looks at what we can learn from this intimate understanding of our place within Country, and how this can better help us adapt for the future in a changing climate. A standout work in the exhibition is a newly created possum skin cloak, crafted by Yorta Yorta artist Treahna Hamm in response to the catastrophic bushfires of 2019/20. Taking inspiration from the book  Dark Emu  by Bruce Pascoe, Hamm draws on imagery that speaks to her ancestral connections to the land and sends a message to younger generations, encouraging them to maintain a strong connection to their culture.

Another focus within Big Weather is on stories of how landscapes were formed. Bill Whiskey Tjapaltjarri was a Pitjantjatjara man from Central Australia who began painting later in life and is widely respected for his exceptional knowledge as a ngangkari (traditional healer). His painting Rockholes and country near Kata Tjuta is a commanding five metres long and depicts his traditional Country between Uluru and Kata Tjuta (The Olgas). His mastery of colour harmonies and remarkable use of proliferated dots and concentric circles bring to life images of the waterways, flora and geological formations surrounding this area. Myriad layered dots pull the viewer into this large-scale work, which references the ancestral clash between the cockatoo, crow and eagle, whose actions shaped the landscape.

Another focus within Big Weather is on stories of how landscapes were formed. Bill Whiskey Tjapaltjarri was a Pitjantjatjara man from Central Australia who began painting later in life and is widely respected for his exceptional knowledge as a ngangkari (traditional healer). His painting Rockholes and country near Kata Tjuta is a commanding five metres long and depicts his traditional Country between Uluru and Kata Tjuta (The Olgas). His mastery of colour harmonies and remarkable use of proliferated dots and concentric circles bring to life images of the waterways, flora and geological formations surrounding this area. Myriad layered dots pull the viewer into this large-scale work, which references the ancestral clash between the cockatoo, crow and eagle, whose actions shaped the landscape.

Also on display is Charlotte Phillipus Napurulla’s Kalipinypa, which depicts the sacred site related to the ancestral forces that bring powerful storms, lightning and thunderclouds. Napurulla is a custodian of this site, located north-east of the remote Aboriginal community of Kintore in the Northern Territory. Napurulla often paints this area of Country using only two colours. Here, the patterned effect of the dark lines painted across the rich red canvas reflect sandhills which create wave-like ripples across the desert landscape, capturing the story of Water Dreaming. I encourage you to read more of the stories weaved throughout Big Weather in this reflection by Dr Jared M. Field. .

Also on display is Charlotte Phillipus Napurulla’s Kalipinypa, which depicts the sacred site related to the ancestral forces that bring powerful storms, lightning and thunderclouds. Napurulla is a custodian of this site, located north-east of the remote Aboriginal community of Kintore in the Northern Territory. Napurulla often paints this area of Country using only two colours. Here, the patterned effect of the dark lines painted across the rich red canvas reflect sandhills which create wave-like ripples across the desert landscape, capturing the story of Water Dreaming. I encourage you to read more of the stories weaved throughout Big Weather in this reflection by Dr Jared M. Field. .

Within the Australian Art Galleries, visitors will find this Maireener necklace, made by an artist whose name was not recorded sometime around the early 1900s. The making of shell necklaces is amongst the most significant cultural traditions of Tasmanian Aboriginal women and one of few customary practices that has continued without interruption since before British colonisation. Maireener shells are only found in the Southern seas of Australia and are collected at certain tide times from sea plants. They are valued for their iridescent shine. The necklaces can take up to a year to craft as each shell is collected, cleaned, sorted, pierced and strung. The passing down of this tradition is testament to the strong appreciation that Indigenous artists have for Country, for the lands and waterways, as well as for their Elders and each other.

Within the Australian Art Galleries, visitors will find this Maireener necklace, made by an artist whose name was not recorded sometime around the early 1900s. The making of shell necklaces is amongst the most significant cultural traditions of Tasmanian Aboriginal women and one of few customary practices that has continued without interruption since before British colonisation. Maireener shells are only found in the Southern seas of Australia and are collected at certain tide times from sea plants. They are valued for their iridescent shine. The necklaces can take up to a year to craft as each shell is collected, cleaned, sorted, pierced and strung. The passing down of this tradition is testament to the strong appreciation that Indigenous artists have for Country, for the lands and waterways, as well as for their Elders and each other.

For anyone looking to learn more about Indigenous art, stories and culture during National Reconciliation Week, I encourage you to join one of our free programs including the online NGV Kids Art Club with artist Jenna Lee, or a weaving activity using natural materials that the whole family can enjoy.

Best wishes,

Tony Ellwood AM
Director, National Gallery of Victoria

For anyone looking to learn more about Indigenous art, stories and culture during National Reconciliation Week, I encourage you to join one of our free programs including the online NGV Kids Art Club with artist Jenna Lee, or a weaving activity using natural materials that the whole family can enjoy.

Best wishes,

Tony Ellwood AM
Director, National Gallery of Victoria