Liddy Napanangka Walker's "Wakirlpirri Jukurrpa"Whilst living in beautiful Australia, I learned a bit about Aboriginal art. I am no expert, by far, but one of the most important aspects of Aboriginal art, to me, is who it is represented by and what they do for the artist. I want the artists to be represented fairly, and given most of the proceeds of his/her sale. If I had my way, I would be able to travel directly to the artists to purchase from them, but that is rarely possible as many of the artists live in remote communities. Recently, I saw a post on daily imprint, a blog written by Natalie Walton, on Aboriginal artists represented by United Galleries. I have always wanted to own a wonderful painting by an Aboriginal artist, and I guess now that I will just have to start saving up :) Most of the art that I like is from Utopia, a community in the Eastern Desert. It is a dream, and that's what they're all about (in a way).
via daily imprint
Hi Catherine,
ReplyDeleteInteresting to read what you wrote about Aboriginal art. I can't agree with you more. Unfortunately there is no art centre in Utopia (any more). This means that a lot of the artists from there are (or have been) the victim of carpet bagging and other unethical practices.
But more and more galleries, like Centred Art, only do business with community based art centres. I personally go to the remote communities to meet the people and select the paintings.
Anyway, what I wanted to say is that if you really care about the artists and you want to buy a painting from Utopia, beware...
Good luck! Rene Dings
Hi Rene,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your insight! Yes, if I were to buy a painting from an Aboriginal artist, I would probably do whatever it takes to actually get up to Utopia to meet the artist and select the paintings. Or as close to it as possible :) I remember hearing many many many stories of theft of Aboriginal art when I lived in Australia and it was infuriating. It's not just stealing their art, but their story as well (in many cases), since a lot of the art is reflective of Dreamings. Thank you again!
Catherine