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A showcase of two contemporary First Nations artists, marking Reconciliation Week 2020
Life coming back to Moon Lake Wilcannia, Linocut 2011 Baaka the forgotten river and the Desecration of the Menindee Lakes, Lincut 2018
Artist statement: I'm making the Nhartatja, black shag, out of river red gum for this exhibition. Nhartatja shows us where to fish in the river, so does Pulhatja, pelican. The tiny bird Pingku shows us where the bait is under logs and stones. We never harm these birds, they are part of our family. Our world is like that, we, the natural world and spiritual world are one. This is our survival, our river, our future. We cannot let industrial irrigation farming destroy our world, our grandchildren depend on us.
About Uncle Badger:
Badger Bates has been a long-time collaborator and friend of the Arts Centre. Badger is a respected artist from Wilcannia NSW, who has mastered a variety of mediums including printmaking, as well as carving and sculpting with wood, steel, emu egg and stone. His works of art incorporate the patterns, landforms, animals, plants and stories of Barkandji country and the Baaka.
In 2018, Badger created a site-specific permanent sculpture piece called West to East, in the Arts Centre courtyard. This was part of an ongoing Indigenous Artist Exchange with our sister city- Broken Hill. More information on West to East below.
Choked Fields, Oil on 9x12 inch board Forgotten Basin, Oil on 12x9 inch board
Uncovered Cavern_Travis De Vries Uncovered Cavern, Oil on 9x12 inch board
Old God, cow bone and parakeet feathers, 2020 Old God, Instagram filter
Following the devastation of 2019/2020 drought and fire season there has been a push to return to traditional First Nations fire practices in the hope to mitigate future natural disasters in Australia. Another outcome of the fire and drought was that some sacred sites were destroyed, while others were unearthed for the first time in living memory.
Scenes From Post Apocalypse imagines a speculative future where the earth's environment has been ravaged following drought and fire and society as we know it has collapsed. In this future some current technology remains, some has evolved, culture has adjusted, worship has devolved and the old gods have returned to people's lives.
About Travis:
Photo credit Teresa Tan:
Travis De Vries is a concept artist, podcaster and producer best known for creating artwork grounded in storytelling. His works draw on myth and his own heritage to create world spanning interconnected storylines.To find out more about Travis' work and to try out the Old God face filter, check out his Instagram.
Travis De Vries is a concept artist, podcaster and producer best known for creating artwork grounded in storytelling. His works draw on myth and his own heritage to create world spanning interconnected storylines.
To find out more about Travis' work and to try out the Old God face filter, check out his Instagram.
Bankstown Arts Centre has a range of artist opportunities. To find out how to exhibit your at Bankstown Arts Centre , go to the Showcase your work page.
To see previous exhibitions, go to our Previous exhibitions page.
