The Heart of Everything

Aboriginal Painting from Mornington and Bentinck Islands, Australia. Presented by Tim Melville Gallery

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"At the heart of everything is the land. It is the way we think and feel about the land that makes us Aboriginal". Larry Lanley (1927-1981) Chairman: Mornington Island Council

In this exhibition, 14 artists from Far North Queensland illustrate the intimate connection between their people and the land through two distinct painting practices. Mornington Island's Lardil people are known for the dynamic body paint designs worn by their dancers. Each 'paint-up' is inherited via complex kinship systems from designs painted on the chests of Spirit Ancestors during the Creation era. Artists have begun to translate these extraordinary abstract designs onto canvas as a 'doorway to the ancestors' for the island's young people.

White Night, 12 March, 6:00pm - midnight

Adding their voices to this dialogue are the vibrant landscapes of the Kaiadilt women of neighbouring Bentinck Island, including 86-year-old Sally Gabori, who began painting to explore abstract representations of her country. Sharing this pride in telling her stories through painting with her extended family, Gabori sparked a small but important community movement. Their graphically clean designs and exhilaratingly coloured landscapes express the continuing vitality of Aboriginal culture and belief.

Hours:

Tue-Fri, 11am-6pm / Sat, 11am-3pm

IMAGE: Joseph Watt, Dibirdibi Man Totem, 2006. Acryic on linen (diptych), 1210mm H x 910mm W (each panel). Courtesy the artist and Tim Melville Gallery. Photograph: Kallan Macleod.

With support from Mornington Island Art