I went in my lunch break to see the exhibition Spirit in the Land at the Flinders University City Gallery in the State Library.
I instantly recognised the Indigenous art in the exhibition, however upon reading further into this exhibition I understood that was about bringing together some of the most iconic Australian art made over the past seventy years. The works vary from five Indigenous Australian artists from different regions of Australia, and six non-Indigenous artists, which also have diverse backgrounds and have lived in various parts of the country.
However if I had not have read and understood this I would have believed that all the artwork in the exhibition was made by Indigenous artists.
In saying that the eleven artists showing works in this exhibition were Lorraine Connelly-Northey, John Davis, Russell Drysdale, Rosalie Goscoigne, Emily Kame Kngwarreye, Dorothy Napangardi, Sidney Nolan, John Olsen, Lin Onus, Rover Thomas and Fred Williams. Each artist showcased their special appreciation and engagement to the spiritual ethos and power of the land.
I was quite taken back by three of these artists: Rover Thomas, Lin Onus & Emily Kame Kngwarreye. I will be writing a journal entry for each of these artists as I was so inspired by their work up close. It is definitely much different seeing art work in real life compared to that in a book or on a computer screen.
I did notice that I wasn’t much of a fan of Sidney Nolan’s work, I put this down to liking more abstract and graphical paintings rather than interpretations of landscapes, even though his work is quite interesting.
I also want to mention the weaving interpretation of Lorraine Connelly-Northey. I love her work which uses pieces of metal and steel, which is often associated with country outback and uses it to weave traditional string bags and canoes.
