Around the World (Again) Queenslands Museum of Modern Art

Queensland Museum of Modern Art, South Bank Brisbane 

I then walked through the exhibition halls, taking photos and admiring the modern Aborigine art, they have always been able to turn anything into art, but with modern “scrap” at their disposal it was truly admirable what they had achieved.

The first was a wonderful large painting, rough texture oil on canvas. Depicting a field of rocks with meteors flashing down from the heavens.

It is actually untitled and is by Peter Booth

I then went into a fantasy forest, this was a truly amazing piece of art, all done in white plush and cotton, I did wander through the maze twice, it was so enchanting.

The work was by Kathy Termin and Titled My Monumental White Forest

 

 

Next is a four panelled mural landscape, showing a range of mountains in the middle distance, painted in pastel shades of ochre and grey.

Around the other walls is a thin what at first looks like a deep red boarder, on closer inspection it turns out to be a very well painted panoramic landscape.

I did not get the names of the artists or the titles of either of the above!

I wandered next into a room with 5 naïve figures in different poses

These are of the Mansak Family (Vanuatu unknown) These are traditional figures and use various natural products, clay, wood, pigs tusks, coconut shells etc.

The next room contained spikey totems suspended from the ceiling in an ellipse, each viewer is asked to write a note and leave it on the floor underneath. Visual and interactive art at its best.

Artist was Dadang Christanto born in Indonesia

"For those that are poor, who are suffering, who are oppressed, who are voiceless, who are powerless, who are burdened, who are victims of violence, who are victims of a dupe, who are victims of injustice."

As I walked through to the next exhibition room, I passed a void that looks down into the entrance hall, there was a massive tree, obviously washed up on some river bank, this was complete even to it having its roots, branches and leaves.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The next exhibit that caught my eye was a nice piece of art making use of scrap metal and discarded everyday objects such as, bowling ball, badminton racket, electrical cable and electrical cooker parts. The walls having a lot of modern Aboriginal art using the old methods of dot painting.

Compiled by Lin Onus of the Yorta Yorta people,  title: A Strong Spring for David

 

Through into the next hall was a wall full of old car bonnets, all vividly painted, this was a very well executed, I think that the Aborigines artists have captured the recycling of throw away things into pieces of art very well.

 

These 5 car bonnets have been done by 5 different Artists called “The Kayili”, these were the last nomadic desert peoples forced into settlements near Alice Springs. They actually grew up 1000km from Alice Springs, but the Authorities were only doing what the thought best, but best for who?

In another hall was the modern use of the “dreaming” figures one was a dot man the other more modern and using dots to form squares, very clever.

 

 

 

 

The last piece was not done by an Australian but by a Brazilian artist, Henrique Oliveira it was made out of pieces of waste plywood from the dumps of Sao Paulo that he had shaped into a foetal form.

Title: Xilonoma Chamusquius 2