Permanent Collection

Darrell Sibosado (vestibule and Gallery 1)

Darrell Sibosado is a Bard man of the Lombadina Community in northern Western Australia. His work reflects the traditions of the Bard people, such as the engraving of riji designs on guwan pearl shells found on the coast of the Dampier Peninsula.

• Look closely at Darrell Sibosado’s large scale work and the smaller etchings on paper in Gallery 1. What similarities can you identify in the designs? How does the design change when different materials or surfaces are used?
• The riji designs refer to different animals from the sea, such as whales, turtles and dolphins. Think about your personality and characteristics. If you were an animal, what animal would you be and why? Create a design that represents this animal.

Gail Mabo (Gallery 1)

Gail Mabo is a multidisciplinary artist working across dance, performing arts and visual arts. Now residing in Gurambilbarra (Townsville), Gail is a Meriam artist, from Mer Island in the Torres Strait, her language group is Piadram. The daughter of celebrated land rights activist, Eddie Koiki Mabo, she maintains a strong commitment to cultural knowledge honouring her Country and community. Her artistic practice frequently references the celestial navigation systems of the Torres Strait Islanders highlighting the importance of observing nature and responding to Country with respect.

"This story was told to me as a child by my father, Eddie Koiki Mabo, as he was told by his father, Benny Mabo, about the stories of the Torres Straits Islands. The story of Tagai, which is still told to the young people today, is considered an important aspect ofdaily life. Tagai is important for navigation, as theSouthern Cross (Tagai’s left hand) points to the south. We use Tagai to navigate through the Torres Strait from island to island. Tagai also tells the islanders when to plant their gardens, when to hunt turtles and dugong, when the monsoon season arrives, when the winds change and many other important aspects of daily life.” – Gail Mabo

• The black stars that are used in Tagai are magnified versions of 3D images of grains of star sand that get washed up on one beach on Mer (Murray Island), Mabo's home island in the Torres Strait. What is something from the natural world that you would like to capture with a 3D printer? Consider an object that isn't normally visible with the human eye or rarely seen at all.

Badger Bates

Badger Bates is a Barkandji Elder who was born in Wilcannia, NSW, in 1947. As a child he travelled up and down the Barka (Darling River) with his grandmother. ‘Granny Moysey’ taught Bates about his Barkandji culture and showed him how to carve.

Bates often works within the media of linocut printing, wood, emu egg and stone carving and metalwork. These works show his connection to Country and the interconnected ecosystems of the Barka (The Darling River).

• Look how smooth the nulla nullas and boomerangs are in Ngatji parripaningku (Rainbow serpent travelling about). How do you think Badger Bates created such smooth surfaces?
• What skill have you been taught by someone close to you?
• Write a short poem in response to this work of art. Imagine it has come to life, how might the objects move in relation to one another.
• Badger Bates has created a sense of movement with these carved pieces. How has he achieved this sense of movement?

Vincent Namatjira, Close Contact (Gallery 13)

Vincent Namatjira has established himself as a celebrated portraitist and storyteller of Australian history and identity. His paintings offer a wry look at the politics of history, power and leadership from a contemporary Aboriginal perspective. Namatjira often positions himself in this history – out of place and out of time – and in doing so he helps us to reconcile our complex pasts. 

Close Contact speaks to Australian double-sided history. It features a self-portrait on one side and, on the other, a portrait of James Cook based on Emanuel Phillips Fox’s famous painting Landing of Captain Cook at Botany Bay, 1770. By positioning the two men together shoulder to shoulder, Namatjira plays with the heroic image of Cook.

• Is Close Contact a painting or a sculpture?
• Recreate the two poses of Namatjira and James Cook. How are the two poses different? What do you think the body language of the two figures suggests?
• “There’s two sides to every story.” – Vincent Namatjira. Discuss what two stories you think Namatjira is trying to tell in Close Contact?

More

• Take a look at Charles on Country in Gallery 6. Who is the figure depicted in this painting?
• What does the word ‘power’ mean to you? Are the figures depicted in Namatjira’s paintings powerful? Why or why not?
• Who is a political or historical figure who has had tremendous power?

Yvonne Koolmatrie (Gallery 3)

In 1982 Koolmatrie learnt traditional Ngarrindjeri weaving from the Elder, Dorothy Kartinyeri, who at that time was one of the last people practising using the labour-intensive coiled-bundle technique. Furthering her knowledge through research in the South Australian Museum’s collection of Ngarrindjeri woven objects, Koolmatrie has been instrumental in resurrecting this craft, as well as inventing her own techniques to create unique forms.

Koolmatrie makes both customary utilitarian objects, such as the Eel traps, as well as figurative contemporary sculptures such as fish, turtles, lizards, echidnas, and even a biplane and hot-air balloon.

• Could these works of art by Koolmatrie be functional if they weren’t on display at AGSA? What function would they have? Tip: look at the wall label for the title of this work – that might give you a clue.
• As you travel through the exhibition, locate other works of art which have used natural materials. Make a list of these materials and when you are back home or in the classroom research them. Where does are these materials found? What conditions do they need to thrive? What are they used for? How is the material harvested?

N Marawili

Leading Yolŋu artist N Marawili was born in 1939 at Darrpirra, north of Djarrakpi (Cape Shield). Using organic shapes, natural and synthetic materials, Marawili reflected her understanding of her culture, history and environment in her bark paintings, prints and larrakitj (painted hollow logs).

Marawili’s Country is known for its lightning strikes during the wet season, from November to April. In these paintings, the artist captures the essence and energy of this natural phenomenon. Each painting, with its gestural line work and pulsating organic patterns, is rendered in different coloured natural earth pigments, allowing for a graduation of colour that creates a sense of movement.

• What is your favourite season or natural phenomenon?
• Imagine you are one of the elements. Write a story or poem from the perspective of a natural phenomenon.
• Recreate the lines in these paintings by moving your body.