education kit - live.melbourne · 2018. 7. 18. · pitjatjantjara yankunytjatjara (apy) lands....

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A Lightness of Spirit is the Measure of Happiness

Education Kit

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A Lightness of Spirit is the Measure of Happiness highlights the significance of family, community and humour in contemporary Aboriginal life. The exhibition, composed of significant new commissions from thirteen Indigenous artists, brings together voices from across the country in an exploration of everyday experiences. Referencing pop culture and country music icons, queer identity and community leadership, as well as the legacy of ancestors, the exhibition aims to acknowledge the importance of coming together to strengthen identity and connection.

A Lightness of Spirit is the Measure of Happiness is the inaugural exhibition of Yalingwa, a Victorian Government initiative, developed as a partnership between Creative Victoria, ACCA and TarraWarra Museum of Art, designed to support the development of outstanding contemporary Indigenous art and curatorial practice.

Exhibition Introduction

ImageVicki Couzens, Djawannacuppatea 2018. Installation view, Australian Centre for Contemporary Art. Photograph: Andrew Curtis

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Artists & Floorplan

1. Peter Waples-Crowe2. Lisa Waup3. Vicki Couzens4. Yhonnie Scarce5. Vincent Namatjira6. Alec Baker, Peter Mungkuri and Mr Kunmanara Pompey7. Tiger Yaltangki8. Mr Kunmanara Pompey9. Kaylene Whiskey10. Robert Fielding11. Benita Clements12. Jonathan Jones

This Education Kit has been developed for use alongside visiting the exhibition A Lightness of Spirit is the Measure of Hapiness at the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art.

Teachers can select and adapt the questions and activities provided within the resource for learning experiences in the gallery or classroom.

Contents

Exhibition Introduction

Artists & Floorplan

Artists & Artworks

Benita ClementsVicki CouzensRobert FieldingJonathan JonesVincent NamatjiraYhonnie ScarcePeter Waples-CroweLisa WaupTiger YaltangkiKaylene WhiskeyAlec Baker, Peter Mungkuri and Mr Kunmanara PompeyMr Kunmanara Pompey

List of Works

Key Ideas & Vocabulary

How to use this kit

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Benita Clements is the daughter of artist Gwenda Namatjira and the great granddaughter of Albert Namatjira – one of Australia’s best known and most celebrated artists. Clements continues the family tradition of Ntaria/Hermannsburg watercolour, painting her Country in the vibrant colours that are reflected in the landscape. In her new series, My life with Albert – My family 2018, Clements celebrates and pays homage to her family and depicts everyday life in Alice Springs and Ntaria. Her watercolour works document trips out bush for hunting and fishing and include scenes of the younger Namatjira generations learning the watercolour tradition. Clements’ deftly blends the past and the present, portraying Albert working and painting alongside his living descendants. As the artist notes: ‘I like to look at photos of Albert and old-time photos of Ntaria/Hermannsburg to inspire my paintings. I like to think about how they lived in the old times, in the mission, and on our Country – and what my family did. I paint stories of the old-times that my family have told me about painting with Albert in Palm Valley and around the West MacDonnell Ranges, and Alice Springs. I also like to make up stories about what my family might have been doing, and how my family and our country inspires me. I like to paint fun paintings!’

Benita Clements

Inquiry QuestionClements harnesses skills passed on to her from family members when making her watercolour artworks. Reflecting on your own skills and abilities, can you trace the talents that you have back to a member, or members, of your family?

ImagesP. 6: Benita Clements, Painting near Glen Helen and seeing a UFO! 2018. Photograph: Andrew CurtisP. 7: Benita Clements, Gloria, Betty and me painting together at Palm Valley 2018. Photograph: Andrew Curtis

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Vicki Couzens is a member of the Keerray Woorrong and Gunditjmara clans of the Western Districts of Victoria. Country, language, identity and culture are at the very heart of Couzens art practice and she has been instrumental in the recent reclamation and revitalisation of possum skin cloak making in South Eastern Australia. The artist places great importance on the notion of reciprocal knowledge – sharing with and learning from others. A brand new artwork, Djwannacuppatea 2018, takes the impressive form of teapot that stands over four metres high. Inside the teapot is a table and chairs, cups, saucers, photographs and mementos that belong to the artist and a sound track of chatter, laughter, clicking china and a kettle boiling. The installation makes a direct connection through history: from the old days – a way of life that sustained her ancestors since the beginning of time – through the hard days of mission life and into the artist’s life and connections today.1 The idea of spending time with family and friends, catching up and sharing stories in kitchens or around the campfire is central to this artwork. Having a ‘cuppa’ tea is a common Aboriginal way of catching up and sharing among family and community. When we meet up with mob, whether it’s visiting each other’s home or out in community, we greet each other, we check in, we ask how is the family?, and so on, then its cuppa tea time. ‘Hey Sis/Bruz, Aunt/Unc/Mum/Dad/Nan/Pop/Cuz … how ya goin?’ djwanna cuppa tea? I’ll put the kettle on...’ Couzens has invited her family to contribute to the work by creating their own ‘cuppa tea stories’. Over the course of the exhibition, the table and the centre of the installation will change and develop in collaboration with Aunty Fay Muir, Lisa Couzens and Gina Bundle, to explore memories of Country, family, genealogy and the continuation of cultural traditions. Other contributors include Bronwyn Razem, Jarrah Bundle, Yaraan Bundle, Marlee Bundle, Niyoka Bundle, Kirrae Bundle and nieces Kelsey Love and Tarryn Love.

Vicki Couzens

Inquiry QuestionThe kitchen table is a central motif in Couzens’ Djwannacuppatea installation. What kinds of conversations are held and what sorts of activities happen around the kitchen table at your house?

ImagesP. 8 & 9: Vicki Couzens, Djawannacuppatea 2018. Installation view, Australian Centre for Contemporary Art. Photograph: Andrew Curtis

1 Presley, Hannah. 2018. A Lightness of Spirit is the Measure of Happiness catalogue essay. p.11

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Robert Fielding is a Western Aranda and Yankunytjatjara artist from Mimili community on the Anangu Pitjatjantjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands. Fielding’s artistic practice revolves around the collision of cultures and he interprets the space in between by drawing on his family and community as inspiration. For Fielding, it is important to share the sense of unity and connection he feels for his Country and community. Fielding works across various mediums including photography and has more recently embraced film to produce works that evoke life lived within his community. For A Lightness of Spirit, Fielding has created Objects of origin 2018, encompassing photography, film, sound and sculpture. In the creation of this work, Fielding has re-contextualised everyday objects such as flour buckets, strollers, bikes and mattress innersprings, bringing them back to life and acknowledging the different interactions people have had with them over time.

Stacked in the corner of the gallery are a number of rusty flour buckets collected from around Indulkana, fitted with flickering orange lights, making them appear as if they are full of flames. These objects refer to the rations of flour, tea, sugar and tobacco that past generations of his family existed on. As Fielding explains: ‘The flour bucket is a reminder of past days when these items were first introduced as rations to my ancestors. Since then, they have become part of the Pitjantjatjara/Yankunytjatjara language and Anangu way of life’.

Robert Fielding

Inquiry QuestionFor Objects of origin Fielding has collected a number of objects from around Indulkana. All of these objects have been used by different members of the artists community at different points in time. Find an object that has been discarded near to where you live. What might the traces you find on this object tell you about how this object has been treated or used since it was manufactured?

ImagesP. 10: Robert Fielding, Objects of origin 1–4 2018. Installation view, Australian Centre for Contemporary Art. Photograph: Andrew CurtisP. 11: Robert Fielding, Untitled 2018. Installation view, Australian Centre for Contemporary Art. Photograph: Andrew Curtis

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Jonathan Jones celebrates generational learning in his new work untitled (gidyirriga) 2018 by inviting primary school students from Parkes – who are learning Wiradjuri – to contribute their voices to the works’ soundscape. This chorus of voices repeatedly chirp gidyirriga, the Wiradjuri word for ‘bird’ that, like many other Aboriginal language words, has been corrupted and Anglicised to become ‘budgerigar’. Jones’ work celebrates this small native parrot, commonly referred to as the ‘budgie’, and subtly acknowledges a much longer history of connection to Country and the spirit of place, language and intellectual property.

Although over five million years old, budgies have only recently become domesticated. Since the 1950s they have been intensively bred in captivity and exported around the world. This breeding has seen a variety of mutations, in colour and size of the birds. Budgerigars are not only a popular pet but also the subject of a decorative ceramic figurine movement from which Jones has amassed a collection over many years. His collection of figurines create an expansive installation, inspired by his great grandmother. Jones comments: ‘Growing up with my great-grandmother I remember objects like this. Cast animal figurines like these budgerigars were part of her world. I remember playing with them and the sound of high-fired porcelain clinking. I quickly learnt how to be gentle’.2 The ceramic budgies are installed on a wall featuring a hand-printed design. This design was made using a stamp fashioned from domestic sponges. The design speaks to both murruwaygu – South East cultural markings often found on shields – and patterns seen on crocheted doilies, with each individual diamond shape evoking a gum-leaf. Overall, this work recognises that cultural knowledge can be duplicated, mutilated and disrespected, or, it can be used gently and with respect to its provenance and importance.3

Jonathan Jones

Inquiry QuestionJones’ artwork includes the sound of students learning the Wiradjuri word for ‘bird’. Research other Australian English words that originate from an Aboriginal language word. Did you find any words that you commonly use?

ImagesP. 12 & 13: Jonathan Jones, untitled (gidyirriga) 2018 (detail). Installation view, Australian Centre for Contemporary Art. Photograph: Andrew Curtis

2 Jonathan Jones, artist notes sent to curator, 5 April 2018 in Presley, Hannah. 2018. A Lightness of Spirit is the Measure of Happiness catalogue essay. p.143 Presley, Hannah. 2018. A Lightness of Spirit is the Measure of Happiness catalogue essay. p.14

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Vincent Namatjira is a Western Arrernte artist and the great grandson of Albert Namatjira. It was his familial connection with the master watercolourist that encouraged Vincent to take up painting. He creates bold, expressive works that often incorporate self-portraiture and clever combinations of historical and current day politics. Namatjira draws on humour and the unexpected to tell his stories, often placing his subjects in unusual and quirky environments that add personality to the scenes. Welcome to Indulkana 2018 brings together all the elements that make Namatjira’s work so relevant in our contemporary moment. Namatjira has painted two of the most influential and controversial political figures in the world visiting his remote desert community of Indulkana, and in doing so he has shifted their power in an unexpected way. With a cheeky nod to his great grandfather, he has positioned himself in Albert’s famous green ute and placed himself centrally in the painting, ensuring all four of the men are now on the same level. Namatjira’s work shows an awareness of the disconnection that exists in the everyday lives of Aboriginal communities and the high-level decisions made on their behalf. Holding the Aboriginal flag aloft, he places his community and culture at the centre of the world, as tensions between Trump and Putin play out in the wings, subtly subverting authority in a retelling of history with a mischievous twist.

Vincent Namatjira

Inquiry QuestionVincent Namatjira’s work questions the positions of power that world leaders and politicians hold. Are there other contemporary artworks that feature high-power figures? What messages do the artists who have made these artworks attempt to relay in their treatment of these subjects?

ImagesP. 14: Vincent Namajira, Welcome to Indulkana 2018. Installation view, Australian Centre for Contemporary Art. Photograph: Andrew CurtisP. 15: Vincent Namatjira in the studio at Iwantja Arts, Indulkana Community, APY Lands.

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Yhonnie Scarce explores the political nature and aesthetic qualities of glass in her practice, referencing the history of nuclear testing on her family’s homelands, and illuminating the ongoing effects of colonisation on Aboriginal people. Scarce is one of only a small number of women Aboriginal artists working with glass. Family history is central to Scarce’s work and she draws on the strength of her ancestors, offering herself as a conduit, when sharing their significant stories from the past. Scarce often recreates bush tucker in the form of yams, bush bananas and plums that are prevalent on her Country from lustrous glass, the delicate shapes metaphorically representing her family and her abiding connection to the land. Scarce’s new commission, Remember Royalty 2018 honours generations of her ancestors in a work reminiscent of a shrine or monument. Large scale banners are suspended in space like religious pennants, adorned with historical photographs, drawn from family archives, that have been meticulously transferred onto fabrics relating to each family member. Underneath each portrait are intricate handcrafted gifts created in glass by Scarce, presented like offerings at a shrine or temple. Scarce says of her new work: ‘As far as I am concerned my grandparents, great grandparents and those people who walked my Country before me, are Australia’s royalty’.

Yhonnie Scarce

Inquiry QuestionScarce is one of the first contemporary women Aboriginal artists to explore the political and aesthetic power of glass. What are some of the meanings that we associate with glass as a material? Research the practices of two other Australian artists who work with glass. What are the similarities and differences in the way that Scarce and these two other artists use this material to convey meaning?

ImagesP. 16: Yhonnie Scarce, Remember Royalty 2018. Installation view, Australian Centre for Contemporary Art. Photograph: Andrew CurtisP.17: Yhonnie Scarce, Fanny – Andamooka opal fields, South Australia 2018 (detail). Photograph: Andrew Curtis.

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Peter Waples-Crowe is a Ngarigo visual and performance-based artist living in Melbourne. His intersecting experiences as an Aboriginal queer man and his work with community health and arts organisations give him a unique perspective as an artist and community cultural development worker. Waples-Crowe creates bold colourful work that explores the representation of Aboriginal people in popular culture, often referencing the dingo as a totemic figure and an analogy for Indigenous peoples. Ngarigo Queen – Cloak of queer visibility 2018 is a culturally-specific statement about identity and standing up for yourself and your Mob in the face of cultural erasure. Waples-Crowe explores his emerging role as a queer Elder in the Aboriginal community with this work. Bringing queer activism to the forefront, Waples-Crowe has created a lasting cultural artefact in the form of a possum skin cloak. The fur side of the cloak is adorned with a crucifix, speaking to the erasure of queer histories in Aboriginal culture due to the strict religious heterosexual gaze of colonisation. Creating his own cloak, Waples-Crowe honours the artists of South East Australia who bought this practice of coak-making back into our everyday lives. As the artist explains: ‘The underside of the cloak is kept close to my body; it is the symbol of the Queer Community, the rainbow flag. The flag is etched with shield designs from the South-East and speaks of Aboriginal inclusion in the broader rainbow community; it speaks to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBTIQ+ Mob to stay strong and deadly. Our past might have been erased but our future is here and now and very visible, and we belong in the culture’.

Peter Waples-Crowe

Inquiry QuestionTraditional possum skin cloaks were very important personal and cultural objects – they were emblazoned with stories of the owner’s family and land – but they also had a practical use, to keep the wearer warm in cold. Cloaks made today are a hybrid of ancient tradition and contemporary knowledge. Using Waples-Crowe’s cloak as a contemporary example, research the materials and methods used to make traditional and contemporary possum skin cloaks. What factors have impacted the way that contemporary cloaks are made?

ImagesP.18: Peter Waples-Crowe wearing Ngarigo Queen – Cloak of queer visibility 2018, on the occasion of the opening, Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, 6 July 2018. Photograph: Jacqui SheltonP. 19: Peter Waples-Crowe, Ngarigo Queen – Cloak of queer visibility 2018 Installation view, Australian Centre for Contemporary Art. Photograph:Andrew Curtis

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Lisa Waup combines traditional art forms and methods with a contemporary modes of making to create distinctively original weavings, sculptural objects and works on paper. Waup uses lots of different materials to construct her work, incorporating found objects such as feathers, seeds and grasses from her local environment and places she travels. A collection of whimsical figures that represent family and ancestors form Waup’s work for A Lightness of Spirit. A figure titled One 2018, which is able to be rotated with a hand crank, talks about the duality required of Aboriginal people in Australian society. The work reminds us of the difficulty of constantly having your identity questioned and having to endure ignorance regarding cultural connections. In this work, the two faces of the rotating doll are smiling, both figures are expressions of light and happiness – joyful no matter what position they rest in – conjuring the idea of the need to be strong and happy, whatever the circumstance. The accompanying group of Ancestors 2018 stand tall and grounded. They are dressed in paper cloaks etched with protective shield designs and documentation of Waup’s family history, connecting the artist to the story of her ancestry, as figures of strength and resilience. The five figures in Family 2018 represent the complex network of Waup’s extended family: ‘Family is everything to me, it has always been the epitome of happiness. The connectivity, love and strength it brings has shaped me into who I am today; the bonds that hold us in place during times of turbulence to ground and secure us flow with us when we search for something more – with a place in our family we become whole.’

Lisa Waup

Inquiry QuestionWaup’s artworks are a visual meditation on the notion of family, with each figure representing a member of the artists own family. If you were to make an artwork about your own immediate family, what kinds of materials and forms would you choose to represent each family member? Give reasons for your choices.

ImagesP.20: Lisa Waup, Ancestors 2018; Family 2018 (detail). Installation view, Australian Centre for Contemporary Art. Photograph: Andrew CurtisP. 21: Lisa Waup, Family 2018, in progress. Courtesy the artist.

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Kaylene Whiskey paints colourful and joyful portraits of famous music and film stars she admires, telling stories of her family, friends and Country. Her work is a celebration of strong women in pop-culture and the lines happily blur between her own life and theirs. Seven Sistas 2018 illustrates the story of Kungkarangkulpa, the Seven Sisters or The Pleiades star cluster. Aboriginal nations across Australia have variations on this creation story, which talks of the bad Wati Nyiru (man) that chases seven sisters with the aim of making them his wives. The sisters keep running and escape - ending up in the sky - creating the well-known constellation. For Kaylene, this is a familiar story that she has reimagined for us with each sister represented as one of her favourite pop culture icons, including Wonder Woman walking her dog, Dolly Parton celebrating Christmas and Cher sharing the mingkulpa (tobacco plant).

Kaylene Whiskey

Inquiry QuestionWhiskey’s artworks often feature representations of strong women from her life and from popular culture. Are the women represented in Seven Sistas real or imagined? What are they each renowned for? Who would you select to represent the seven sisters in this story? Why?

ImagesP. 22 & 23: Kaylene Whiskey, Seven Sistas 2018 (details). Installation view, Australian Centre for Contemporary Art. Photograph: Andrew Curtis

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Tiger Yaltangki’s paintings are a bold and bright blending of the Mamu, a naughty supernatural spirit, depictions of Malpa Wiru (good friends) and a collection of film and music icons from pop-culture. There is a playfulness in Yaltangki’s paintings that is suggestive of a carefree imagination and his characters have a sense of lightness and happiness with a rock ‘n’ roll edge.

TIGERLAND 2018 is a lively assemblage of cheeky and wonderfully vivid faces, figures and guitars suspended in front of an elaborately illustrated, black and white, mural-scale canvas. This impressive installation offers us real insight into Yaltangki’s everyday life, the things that inspire him and his particular take on the world. His inspiration is drawn from a love of sci-fi movies and TV series such as The Mighty Boosh and Dr Who, layered with his favourite musical references. The energetic background composition of faces and figures set within an abstract landscape reflects a dynamic sense of familial, communal and spiritual connectedness within the Indulkana community.

Tiger Yaltangki

Inquiry QuestionTiger Yaltangki draws inspiration from particular movies, television shows and music to produce his dynamic painted artworks. If you were to produce a large scale artwork inspired by your prefered movies, television shows and music what imagery may appear in your artwork and how might you use colour?

ImagesP. 24: Tiger Yaltangki, TIGERLAND 2018. Installation view, Australian Centre for Contemporary Art. Photograph: Andrew CurtisP. 25: Tiger Yaltangki in the studio at Iwantja Arts, Indulkana Community, APY Lands. Photograph: Heath Aarons

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Peter Mungkuri, Alec Baker and Mr Kunmanara Pompey are senior artists and respected leaders from the APY Lands community of Indulkana. In the 1940s through to the 1960s, these young men were renowned stockmen, working on the land and living the stockman’s life. This significant time in their lives was spent working with horses and mustering cattle. Though this was a hard time in their lives, they look back on it fondly and with much pride. In 2017, the group led a men’s camp at nearby cattle station Welbourn Hill, funded by the Australia Council. At the camp, the men came together to talk about everyday life and to tell stories around the fire to a soundtrack of Country and Western music. Meanwhile, guided by Peter, Alec and Mr Kunmanara Pompey, the young men from Indulkana created the special short film Never stop riding. Never stop riding is an Indulkana Spaghetti Western shot at Welbourn Hill station, at Indulkana and the surrounding homelands. The film is a celebration of affinity with country music and the cowboy lifestyle. The artists have created the film as a reminder to Indigenous men and boys across Australia, that whatever their passion in life is, whatever struggles they may be facing, that above all else, they should Never stop riding!

Peter Mungkuri and Alec Baker would like to dedicate this film to the memory of their late friend and colleague, Mr Kunmanara Pompey.

Alec Baker, Peter Mungkuri and Mr Kunmanara Pompey

Inquiry QuestionHow has humour been used in Never stop riding?

ImagesP. 26: Alec Baker, Peter Mungkuri, Mr Kunmanara Pompey, Never Stop Riding 2017 (film still). L-R: Patuway Mungkuri, Johnny Doolan, Peter Mungkuri, Vincent Namatjira, Michael Drover, and Kunmanara Andy. Courtesy the artists and Iwantja Arts. Photograph: Jackson LeeP. 27: Alec Baker, Peter Mungkuri, Mr Kunmanara Pompey, Never Stop Riding 2017 (film still). Photograph: Jackson Lee

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Mr Kunmanara Pompey was a senior Yankunytjatjara man from Indulkana whose paintings represent joyful, painterly depictions of his life and memories of youth spent as a hard-working stockman, and later as a travelling country musician with his wife. His final two works titled Cowboy story 2018 are a reminder of the good old days and a beautiful homage to his late wife. Of these final works, Mr Kunmanara Pompey said: ‘Me and my brother Buddy grew up riding horses, we were stockmen for a long time. I taught myself how to play the country music and gospel music; I like playing just like Slim Dusty and Hank Williams. When I’m painting, I think about when I was playing that country music when I was a cowboy a long time ago. I was teaching myself these things, and now I have all of the memories, the paintings are how I remember the country’.

Mr Kunmanara Pompey

Inquiry QuestionMr Kunmanara Pompey was inspired by memories of his life spent working and travelling with his wife. How do you think the artist was feeling when he created these artworks? What about the artworks gives you this impression?

ImagesP. 28: Mr Kunmanara Pompey, Cowboy story 2018. Courtesy the artist’s estate and Iwantja Arts, IndulkanaP. 29: Mr Kunmanara Pompey, Cowboy story 2018. Installation view, Australian Centre for Contemporary Art. Photograph: Andrew Curtis

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Benita Clements

Born 1980 Hermannsburg,

Northern Territory

Western Arrernte

Lives and works in Alice Springs,

Northern Territory

from the series My life with Albert

– my family 2018

Albert and his sons painting near

Morris Soak 2018

watercolour and gouache on paper

29.5 x 39.0 cm

Albert gives Rex a painting 2018


21.0 x 29.5 cm

Albert in his truck going to Ntaria

2018


21.0 x 29.5 cm

Albert sitting with Kumantjai at

Glen Helen Gorge teaching her to

paint 2018


21.0 x 29.5 cm

Alice Springs, Show day 2018


25.0 x 35.0 cm

Family with green cans near the

river 2018


26.5 x 36.0 cm

List of Works

Fireworks at Alice Springs Show

2018


26.5 x 74.0 cm

Fishing and painting with my family

near Glen Helen 2018

watercolour on paper

31.0 x 49.0 cm

Ghost Gum near Mt Gillen, Alice

Springs 2018


24.0 x 36.0 cm

Gloria, Betty and me painting

together at Palm Valley 2018


30.5 x 49.0 cm

My family, cooking 2018


30.5 x 49.0 cm

Ntaria with Mt Hermannsburg

behind 2018


27.5 40.0 cm

Painting near Glen Helen and

seeing a UFO! 2018


36.0 x 54.5 cm

Courtesy the artist and Iltja Ntjarra

Many Hands Art Centre, Alice

Springs, Northern Territory

Vicki Couzens

Born 1960 Warrnambool, Victoria

Keerray Woorrong/Gunditjmara

Lives and works in Geelong,

Victoria

Djawannacuppatea 2018

plywood, kitchen table and chairs,

lamp, woven woollen matt, woven

framed photographs, anodised

aluminium teapot, personal

collections, sound

443.5 x 840.0 x 505.0 cm

sound: Robbie Bundle

Courtesy the artist

Robert Fielding

Born 1969 Lilla Creek, Northern

Territory

Western Arrernte, Yankunytjatjara,

Pakistani

Lives and works in Mimili, APY

Lands, South Australia

Cycles 2018

HD video loop

7:07 mins

Objects of origin 1 2018

C-type print on dibond

110.0 x 165.0 cm



110.0 x 165.0 cm



110.0 x 165.0 cm



110.0 x 165.0 cm

Untitled 2018

found flour buckets, lights

dimensions variable

Courtesy the artist and Mimili Maku

Arts, Mimili Community, South

Australia

Jonathan Jones

Born 1978 Sydney

Wiradjuri, Kamilaroi

Lives and works in Sydney

untitled (gidyirriga) 2018

ceramic figurines, sponge-stamped

synthetic polymer paint, wood,

stereo soundscape

dimensions variable

sound design: Luke Mynott, Sonar

Sound; voices Karma Dechen,

Renna Dechen, Beth Delan, Jenson

Howard, Lilia Howard, Taj Lovett,

Mincarlie Lovett, Phoebe Smith,

Ben Woolstencroft and Mae

Woolstencroft from Parkes Public

School; with thanks to Dr Uncle

Stan Grant Snr AM, Uncle Geoff

Anderson and Lionel Lovett

Vincent Namatjira

Born 1983 Alice Springs, Northern

Territory

Western Arrernte

Lives and works in Indulkana, APY


Welcome to Indulkana 2018

synthetic polymer paint on linen

122.0 x 304.0 cm

Courtesy the artist, Iwantja Arts,

Indulkana and This is No Fantasy +

Dianne Tanzer Gallery, Melbourne

Yhonnie Scarce

Born 1973 Woomera, South

Australia

Kokatha, Nukunu

Lives and works in Melbourne

from the series Remember Royalty

2018

Family portrait – Koonibba Mission,

South Australia 2018

water based ink screen printed on

vintage cotton sheet, vintage metal

trunk, black lustre blown glass

sheet: 258.0 x 165.0 cm

trunk with objects: 33.0 x 72.0 x

54.0 cm

Fanny – Andamooka opal fields,

South Australia 2018

water based ink screen printed

on vintage cotton sheet, vintage

suitcase, black lustre blown glass,

vintage gloves, embroidered

handkerchiefs

sheet: 260.0 x 230.0 cm

suitcase with objects: 62.0 x 47.0

x 50.0 cm

Granny Melba 2018


vintage French linen, black lustre

blown glass

300.0 x 191.0 cm

Papa Willy 2018


woollen blanket, black lustre blown

glass, tool box, metal hand tools

blanket: 235.0 x 202.0 cm

toolbox with objects: 41.0 x 50.0

x 27.0 cm

Print production Spacecraft,

Collingwood

Courtesy the artist and This is No

Fantasy + Dianne Tanzer Gallery,

Melbourne

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Peter Waples-Crowe

Born 1965 Sydney

Ngarigo


Ngarigo Queen – Cloak of queer

visibility 2018

possum pelts, waxed linen thread,

leather dyes

380.0 x 129.0 cm

Cloak-making advisor: Maree Clarke

Courtesy the artist

Lisa Waup

Born 1971 Melbourne

Gunditjmara, Torres Strait Islands


Ancestors 2018

2 cloaked figures: feathers,

ceramic, glaze, digital print on

cotton rag, cotton, coper wire,

bird’s feet and metal stands

41.0 x 28.0 x 50.0 cm (each)

2 winged figures: feathers,

ceramic, glaze, assorted feathers,

oaten hay, fibre, bird’s wings, wool,

cotton

30.0 x 30.0 x 20.0 cm (each)

Family 2018

5 figures: assorted feathers,

ceramic, glaze, forged recycled

copper water heater, copper patina,

copper wire, fibre

20.0 x 13.0 x 13.0 cm (each)

One 2018

metal, ceramic, glaze, emu

feathers, cockatoo feathers, parrot

feathers, hand dyed fabric, shells,

cotton, human hair, possum skin,

teeth, vertebrae, seeds, patina, wax

51.0 x 26.5 x 34.5 cm

Technical support: Blueprint

Sculpture, erinswindow Studio

Courtesy the artist

Kaylene Whiskey

Born 1976 Indulkana, South

Australia

Yankunytjatjara



Seven Sistas 2018

synthetic polymer paint on canvas

8 panels: 307.0 x 124.0 cm (each)

Courtesy the artist, Iwantja Arts,

Indulkana, and blackartprojects,

Melbourne

Tiger Yaltangki

Born 1973 Indulkana, South

Australia

Yankunytjatjara



TIGERLAND 2018

synthetic polymer paint on linen

and plywood cut-outs

installation: 200.0 x 1200.0 x 240.0

cm

Courtesy the artist and Iwantja

Arts, Indulkana and Alcaston

Gallery, Melbourne

Peter Mungkuri

Born 1946 Fregon, South Australia

Yankunytjatjara

Lives and works Indulkana, South

Australia

Alec Baker

Born 1932 Shirley Well, South

Australia

Pitjatjantjara, Yankunytjatjara

Lives and works Indulkana, South

Australia

Mr Kunmanara Pompey

Born 1952, Gap Well, South

Australia; Died 2018 Port Augusta,

South Australia

Yankunytjatjara

Lived and worked Indulkana, South

Australia

Never stop riding 2017

HD video

10:26 mins

producer: Iwantja Arts

camera and editing: Jackson Lee,

Melted Creative

This project was made possible

by funding from The Australia

Council and Indigenous Visual Arts

Industry Support. Special thanks to

Welbourn Station and Teena and

George Rosewarne

Mr Kunmanara Pompey

Born 1952 Gap Well, South

Australia; Died 2018 Port Augusta,

South Australia

Yankunytjatjara

Lived and worked Indulkana, South

Australia

Cowboy story 2018


41.5 x 71.0 cm

Courtesy the artist’s estate and

Iwantja Arts, Indulkana

Cowboy story 2018


41.5 x 71.0cm

Courtesy the artist’s estate and

Iwantja Arts, Indulkana

List of Works

Image

P. 32: Opening night, A Lightness of

Spirit is the Measure of Happiness,

Australian Centre for Contemporary

Art, 6 July 2018. Pictured l–r: Yhonnie

Scarce, Robert Fielding, Destiny

Deacon, Lisa Waup, N’arweet Carolyn

Briggs, Hannah Presley, Peter Waples-

Crowe, Liz Liddle, Benita Clements,

Vincent Namatjira, Jacob Boehme,

Kaylene Whiskey, Jonathan Jones,

Vicki Couzens. Photo: Jacqui Shelton

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Key Ideas & Vocabulary

APY:APY is an acronym for ‘Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara’ – the names of the two main dialect groups that inhabit the northwest of South Australia. Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands refers to 103,000 square kilometres of arid land in the far northwest tip of South Australia. All Pitjantjatjara, Yankunytjatjara and Ngaanyatjarra people, who are traditional owners of any part of the Lands, are members of Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara.

Kunmanara: Is a word used in place of the name of a person who has recently passed away. Kunmanara is Pitjantjatjara for ‘one who’s name cannot be mentioned’. As part of Pitjantjatjara mortuary beliefs, all people with the same name, or even a name that sounds similar to the one belonging to a person who has died, take the name ‘Kunmanara’. The name Kunmanara will remain in place until the grieving family deems it appropriate to bring the name back into use.

Spaghetti Western:A film made in Europe, usually by an Italian director, about life in the American Wild West.

Curriculum Links

VICTORIAN CURRICULUMVisual Arts

Levels 5 and 6

Explore and Express IdeasExplore visual arts practices as inspiration to create artworks that express different ideas and beliefs(VCAVAE029)

Respond and InterpretIdentify and describe how ideas are expressed in artworks by comparing artworks from different contemporary, historical and cultural contexts, including artworks by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples (VCAVAR032)

Levels 7 and 8

Explore and Express IdeasExplore how artists use materials, techniques, technologies and processes to realise their intentions in artworks (VCAVAE034)

Respond and InterpretAnalyse how ideas and viewpoints are expressed in artworks and how they are viewed by audiences(VCAVAR038)

Levels 9 and 10 Explore and Express IdeasExplore how artists manipulate materials, techniques, technologies and processes to develop and express their intentions in art works (VCAVAE041)

Respond and InterpretAnalyse, interpret and evaluate a range of visual artworks from different cultures, historical and contemporary contexts, including artworks by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples to explore differing viewpoints (VCAVAR046)

AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUMVisual Arts

Years 5 and 6

Explore ideas and practices used by artists, including practices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists, to represent different views, beliefs and opinions (ACAVAM114)

Explain how visual arts conventions communicate meaning by comparing artworks from different social, cultural and historical contexts, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artworks (ACAVAR117)

Years 7 and 8

Identify and connect specific features and purposes of visual artworks from contemporary and past times to explore viewpoints and enrich their art-making, starting with Australian artworks including those of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples (ACAVAR124)

Develop planning skills for art-making by exploring techniques and processes used by different artists (ACAVAM120)

Years 9 and 10 Conceptualise and develop representations of themes, concepts or subject matter to experiment with their developing personal style, reflecting on the styles of artists, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists (ACAVAM125)

Analyse a range of visual artworks from contemporary and past times to explore differing viewpoints and enrich their visual art-making, starting with Australian artworks, including those of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, and consider international artworks (ACAVAR131)

4 ‘About Us,’ Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankungtjatjara. https://www.anangu.com.au/about-us.html5 ‘Glossary of words commonly used by Ara Irititja’, Ara Irititja Project. http://www.irititja.com/sharing_knowledge/glossary.html6 https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/spaghetti-western

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Terms of Use This education resource has been produced by the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art to provide information and classroom support material for education visits to the exhibition A Lightness of Spirit is the Measure of Happiness. The reproduction and communication of this resource is permitted for educational purposes only.

Acknowledgements

Education resource compiled by Shannon Lyons, Educator and Program Coordinator and Andrew Atchison, Artist Educator from texts written by Hannah Presley, Curator. Edited and designed by Eliza Devlin, Education Manager. Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, July 2018.

ACCA’s education resources are supported by the Victorian Government, Department of Education and Training under the Strategic Partnerships Program and the Australian Government, Catalyst–Australian Arts and Culture Fund.

Visiting ACCA ACCA’s Education Program is FREE and available for primary, secondary and tertiary groups on weekdays during exhibition seasons. Bookings are required for both guided and self-guided school and tertiary groups.

acca.melbourne/education

Contact Us (03) 9697 [email protected]

education kit - live.melbourne · 2018. 7. 18. · pitjatjantjara yankunytjatjara (apy) lands....

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