The Boomalli Ten Presented by Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Co-Operative Curated by Djon Mundine OAM
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The Boomalli Ten Presented by Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Co-operative Curated by Djon Mundine OAM. Supported by the Boomalli Board, curatorial and administration team. Friday 3rd November 2017 - Sunday 28th January 2018 Michael Riley Bronwyn Bancroft Euphemia Bostock Arone Meeks Fiona Foley The The Boomalli Ten Brenda L. Croft 1 Jeffrey Samuels Tracey Moffatt Avril Quaill Fern Martins • Reproduced courtesy of the photographer, Margaret Olah Boomalli Foreword Thanks On behalf of the current Board of Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Co-operative I write this It’s been three decades since 1987, and Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Co-operative is small note of reflection. celebrating its 30th year Anniversary in 2017 at the Flood Street premises, curated by Djon Mundine and supported by our skilled administration and curatorial team, including I was 50 when we founded this Co-operative. 30 years later, I am pleased to see this Kyra Kum-Sing, Kathryn Miller, Laura Jones and Bronwyn Bancroft. tribute exhibition being held at the Co-operative. I wish everyone the very best not only for this Anniversary Exhibition but also I know that more people will become aware of the As with any journey in the arts, there have been incredible highs and lows. We have contribution that we have all made. persisted at every turn to stay open for our Artists and the wider community. I am thrilled to see this event happen. I also want to acknowledge Michael Riley as he was We are euphoric that this exhibition of the Founding Members can be held. integral to the setting up of Boomalli. The Co-operative has survived threatened closure, potential eviction and fluctuations in It is with heartfelt appreciation that I acknowledge all the Artists who have contributed to popularity. But we have survived. this show. We were a group of Ten Artists who wanted to see change, who embraced change and worked hard for it. It would be remiss of me not to acknowledge Bronwyn Bancroft’s contribution for the last nine years as a volunteer strategist and curator. Her dedication to the Co-operative has It is important to acknowledge Gary Foley (Aboriginal Arts Board Director 1983-1986) been enormous to say the least. Thank you Bron. and Uncle Chicka Dixon (Chairperson Aboriginal Arts Board) who after meeting with Michael Riley, secured rental for 18 Meagher Street, Chippendale, which was the original birthplace of Boomalli. Euphemia Bostock There are many volunteers who have assisted us over the years, too many to name and Chairperson you know who you are, this includes our Board members. We acknowledge your efforts and spirit of generosity. As a grass roots organization, Boomalli would like to acknowledge funding support from the ATSI Board of the Australia Council for the Arts for providing us with 11 times our normal budget to produce this exhibition. The The Boomalli Ten The Boomalli Ten Thank you to Create NSW for their ongoing support and Annual Program Funding. 2 3 I would also like to acknowledge Allens Law Firm for securing the Flood St premises, Boomalli’s permanent home and Indigenous Land Corporation for assisting us with renovating the building.i Congratulations Boomalli. May we not just survive but thrive into the future. Bronwyn Bancroft Michael Riley This year all Aboriginal artists was released. Against the Sheds studios. Boomalli Ten denied their recognition, teenagers anymore, and the should celebrate the actions societal fashion of the day, artist Avril Quaill, trained voice or place in history. two ‘gay’ men members had of the ‘Boomalli Ten’ who and all odds in this art-form, as an office worker cum It was a right move for the been ‘out’, proud and well were fired to create a ‘new an African-American is the secretary before entering right time in history, the known nearly all their lives. Aboriginal art’ in 1987. They hero in the script, in fighting Sydney College of Arts. Fiona 1980s being a time for many I really, first met several of were; Bronwyn Bancroft, off mobs of zombie-like Foley finished a Dip.Ed at such alternate communities this group who were in the Euphemia Bostock, Brenda L. ‘white’ Americans, and Sydney Teacher’s College to and group co-operatives in Koori Art 84 exhibition at Croft, Fiona Foley, Fernanda protecting another group possibly become a teacher, as Australia. It was also the time Sydney’s Artspace in 1984. Martins, Arone Raymond of largely ‘stupid ‘white well as an artist. where the term post-colonial I was living and working as an Meeks, Tracey Moffatt, American’ refugees. He is shot gained currency – with the A large body of young Art & Craft Advisor in central Avril Quaill, Michael Riley, dead by stereotype racist breaking up of colonial Aboriginal people now Arnhem Land then and had and Jeffrey Samuels. Their police rescue forces, when empires in large parts of existed from the scholarships just curated an exhibition of success was really the result he emerges with relief from the world, non-European in educational institutions the Art Gallery of NSW’s bark of twenty years of Aboriginal hiding to greet them. people were no longer in the 1970s-80s; a ‘next painting collection in 1983. To Strike – political action. colonial subjects, and no Very little actually happened generation’ of Aboriginal longer western stereotypes. Following the Koori Art 84 in Australia after the 1967 youth, who, disappointed To Leave The Academy Award winning Although Australia took a show, several artists started Referendum in regard to and disgusted with the filmLorem of ipsum the year dolor in sit1967 amet, was; ullamcorper ultricies nisi. long time to realise, this to correspond with me and Aboriginal affairs, but a inaction by ‘white’ Australia “Guessconsectetuer Who’s adipiscingComing to elit. 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Nam quam nunc, blandit Croft, Fiona Foley, Fernanda art. About half of the ten OAM remain in school, and enter Aboriginal Artists quamclass family felis, ultricies in dating nec, their vel, luctus pulvinar, hendrerit Martins, Arone Raymond visited and worked and university and other higher Co-operative by ten people pellentesquedaughter. In eu,Australia, pretium quis, id, lorem. Maecenas nec odio Meeks, Tracey Moffatt, Avril formed relationships with educational institutions, who were in a sense sem.this year, Nulla 2017, consequat is the massa50th et ante tincidunt tempus. Quaill, Michael Riley, Jeffrey Ramingining or Maningrida to obtain a profession and recipients of this educational quisanniversary enim Donec of a pivotal pede justo, Samuels. It was the result communities. fringillamoment vel, in aliquetAustralian nec, race vulpu - better their lives. A system program. After appearing in of twenty years of political At least half of the original taterelations eget, inarcu. 1967, when of private financial supports the Koori Art 84 exhibition action. Largely female in ten soon moved on to InAustralians enim justo, voted rhoncus 93% ut, in had existed until then – at Sydney’s Artspace in number, gay, communal, and commercial galleries and imperdietfavour of Aboriginala, venenatis people vitae, I finished my High School 1984, a number, of these widely open to ideas, new commercial success, but being counted as human Certificate on one of those younger artists, after visiting justo. Nullam dictum felis eu artists, and a pan Aboriginal they had left their mark in beings in the national census, in 1968. Initially you were Northern Territory Aboriginal pede mollis pretium. Integer movement. establishing the Co-operative tincidunt.and, that dealingsCras dapibus. with encouraged to obtain a ‘real’ art co-operatives as part The group is interesting from that has influenced and VivamusAustralia’s elementum original, and semper still, trade of sorts and certainly of their western art school not to be an artist, I trained courses, decided to begin several angles in that the provided openings for so nisi.owners Aenean of the vulputate land, were eleifend The The Boomalli Ten to be an accountant, or their own ‘urban’ Aboriginal group was across all genders, many Aboriginal artists. The The Boomalli Ten tellus.seen, asAenean a national leo ligula, issue. As The Boomalli Ten possibly an economist, artist co-operative. Their ages, and training. – all had This year Founding Member porttitorsuch the eu,Commonwealth consequat vitae, 4 self-taught artist Lin Onus art used western art school or were attending western Tracey Moffatt represented 5 eleifendgovernment ac, enim. could Aliquam make laws trained as a panel beater. technologies, concepts and art courses or art schools, Australia at the Venice loremregarding ante, Aboriginal dapibus in, people viverra Filmmaker photographer, metaphors to tell their same most members were women Biennale. This year we honour quis,that couldfeugiat override a, tellus. those Phasellus Boomalli founding member, but different Aboriginal (7-10), almost half were her and the rest of the ten for viverralaws of nulla the states ut metus where varius Michael Riley apprenticed as history and personal struggle refugees from Joh Bjelke- their struggle and triumph.