A Study Guide by Marguerite O'hara

Series 2 Colour Theory paints a picture of the heart behind Indigenous Art © ATOM 2014 A STUDY GUIDE BY MARGUERITE O’HARA http://www.metromagazine.com.au ISBN: 978-1-74295-440-0 http://www.theeducationshop.com.au forms are produced runs parallel to the history and experiences of the artists themselves. It reflects customary trading patterns as well as the continu- ing creation of implements and artefacts, a strug- gle for survival, the influence of governments and churches and the powerful desire to record and honour Country, People and a rich cultural life. The prominence of Indigenous art is due in part to the motivation and considerable effort of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists who have played a major role in introducing both Australia and the rest of the world to Australia’s Indigenous cultures. The Western Desert art movement has come to be seen as one of the most significant art movements of the 20th century.1 Today, artists are embracing new technologies + OVERVIEW such as photography and computer imaging and using them to tell stories that draw from and Australian Indigenous art is the oldest ongoing honour traditional skills and practices. They are tradition of art in the world. Initial forms of artistic designers, painters, street artists, visual artists, Aboriginal expression include rock carvings, body sculptors, printmakers and conceptual artists. Their painting and ground designs, which date back more contemporary works of art shows that there are than 30,000 years. The discovery of a recent rock many ways to tell stories. cave painting on the Arnhem Land Plateau depict- ing emu-like birds believed to have become extinct 40,000 years ago suggests the artistic tradition may + INTRODUCTION TO be even older. COLOUR THEORY The quality and variety of Australian Indigenous art produced today reflects the richness and diversity This is the second series of Colour Theory, a of Indigenous culture and the distinct differences program about art and culture. The work of four between language groups, dialects and geographic artists is featured in this series as we go behind the landscapes. Art has always been an important part scenes into the communities of some of the new of Aboriginal life, connecting past and present, the faces on the Indigenous art landscape to find out people and the land, and the supernatural and reality. what makes them tick. The series is presented by Richard Bell. Over 250 different language groups and their respective countries exist across the Australian continent The first series of Colour Theory debuted in April and outer islands and collectively constitute the 2013 on the NITV/SBS network and went on to world’s oldest living culture. Each language group is a be distributed internationally in New Zealand. The sovereign nation, uniquely identified by its connection to country. Indigenous Australians are custodians of their respective homelands – this responsibility having been handed down through countless generations. There are several maps of Aboriginal Australia avail- able online such as this interactive map at http:// www.abc.net.au/indigenous/map/ Indigenous art ranges across a wide variety of mediums from works on paper and canvas to fibre and glass. Introduced media such as printmaking, fabric 2014 © ATOM SCREEN EDUCATION printing, ceramics and glassware now complement traditional arts and crafts. The story of the way these art 2 Colour Theory’s featured up-and-comers are: • Central Queensland local Dale Harding • Sydney-born Yuwaalaraay designer Lucy Simpson • Cairns-based artist and printmaker Teho Ropeyarn, and • proppaNOW Collective artist Megan Cope program was well-received by critics, receiving Australia and you can definitely see their upbring- special mentions and favourable reviews in The ing reflected in their works. To truly understand Australian, Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. what each work means to the artist, and to others, A DVD of Series 1 can be purchased through SBS we felt it was important to travel with each of them and some retail stores. and immerse ourselves in the physical and cultural environments that have shaped their worldviews. Provocative artist, political activist and Colour Theory host Richard Bell travels to the ancestral Audiences will travel with the artists through lush homelands of four artists across the east coast beautiful locations across Queensland and in North of Australia, looking at how country and culture Western New South Wales, sharing in their lives as inspire their modern form of art, and documenting they hunt, sing, dance and make art - with spec- their creative processes from inception through to tacular footage of canyons, rivers, bush, desert, production and exhibition. oceans and cities featuring throughout. With each half - hour episode, Bell introduces us to A full palette of colours, textures and mediums will a new artist and their creative journey and cultural be explored in this second series of Colour Theory, influences as they develop a major work that helps from paint, sculpture, textiles, weaving, new media, place them in the art landscape in bold statements photo media, printmaking, installation and perfor- as they develop and grow as artists in this country. mance to dance and design. Colour Theory’s writer and associate producer Hetti ‘The whole point of Colour Theory is to show these Perkins explains that in addition to the creative cultural trailblazers in their element. We want to process, the series explores the diverse and often take audiences on a journey into the lives of these spectacular natural landscapes that influence each artists as well as their works – to uncover who they artist. are; their stories, histories, inspirations and meth- ods’, says Perkins. ‘There is an incredible range Many of the artists we followed are from regional of Indigenous artistic expression out there, much of which has had very little exposure nationally. This season of Colour Theory aims to build upon the success of the first series, to take more of the nation’s best up-and-coming Indigenous artists – and their communities – into the living rooms of everyday Australians’, Perkins says. In addition to Bell and Perkins, the series is backed 2014 © ATOM SCREEN EDUCATION by a stellar production team comprising some of Australia’s leading creatives including Wiradjuri Producer Mitchell Stanley, James Falconer Marshall (Director) and Simon Smith (Director of Photography). 3 + CURRICULUM GUIDELINES Colour Theory would be enjoyed by secondary and tertiary students across a range of levels and subject areas. Indigenous perspectives are one of subjects are relevant to history, geography and three ‘cross-curriculum dimensions’ in the National cultural studies as artworks embody some of the Curriculum to be included as a key aspect of study most significant and recognisable products and across a range of subject areas. The program records of cultures. This is particularly the case would be relevant to students studying Visual Arts, with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artworks Design, Australian History and Politics, Aboriginal which are often strongly rooted in place and history Studies and Cultural Studies. as well as being rich in narrative and spiritual detail and expression. This series presents the varied artwork of four young artists demonstrating how family and his- Students will learn about the belief systems of tory, a profound sense of country and tradition and Indigenous Australians and their connection to principally a powerful desire to tell important and and responsibility for Country and place. They will often untold stories through their artwork, drives see historical perspectives through the eyes of these young artists. Indigenous Australians, developing an understanding of the impact of colonisation on traditional ways Through watching the artists at work and hear- of life and on the lives of the original inhabitants ing their family stories, we learn not just about the and their country. Understanding and responding range of creative expressions? that drive their prac- to many of the injustices of the past is integral to tice, but about their histories, families and deep- honouring Indigenous people and their culture. rooted sense of belonging to Country*. We see how This imperative is embodied in the artwork of these this sense of belonging has often been disrupted young Indigenous artists. and tested, but we also see how the strength of community and pride in place, family and culture has not just survived, but informs their artistic ex- *Country pression in remarkable ways. The artwork is often The term ‘country’ in Indigenous Australia is all - encompassing and in- a means of honouring and preserving histories as cludes land and sea, the sun and moon, plants and animals, fire and water, 2014 © ATOM SCREEN EDUCATION well as being a means of expressing identity. At the all of which have been created by the epic journeys and actions of the an- same time these works – paintings, prints, weav- cestors. Country, the physical and spiritual landscape, is the touchstone for ings, fabric designs, installations and photographs, Indigenous Australians’ cultural belief system and the physical topography are beautiful contemporary works in their own right. of the landscape connects people to their ancestors. Country, infused with the sacred ancestral life force, continually determines culture and identity. Students working in a number of visual arts sub- People’s relationship to the ancestors determines responsibilities to country, jects will find much to inspire and engage them culture and community. in the work of these contemporary artists. Arts 4 + FILMMAKERS (The following information is from the series Press Kit) Hetti Perkins Hetti has also built an impressive television resume, writ- – Writer and Associate Producer ing and presenting the documentary series art + soul for ABC television, directed by Warwick Thornton – the second series Hetti Perkins is a member of the Eastern Arrernte and Kalkadoon of which is currently in the pre-production stage, directed by Aboriginal communities, and is currently resident curator at Steven McGregor.

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