Today we visited the exhibition held again at Tandanya National Cultural Institute to view works by artists including Vernon Ah Kee and Sistagirls. It was an interesting exhibit of cultural significance, social awareness and traditional lino arts. It was divided into 3 main areas, first being Vernon's perspective of life through the means of surfboards and typographic statements. One of the most interesting statements I noted was "your duty is to accept me, my duty is to tolerate you", which I think sums up the thoughts of a lot of people and shows the hardship between forming relationships with Indigenous Australians, almost as if to say we 'have to' accept them.
As we made our way through the centre, the second area consisted of lino printing from various artists, whose intricate artworks were amazing. The detail that had been put into the prints i.e decorative elements was what made the works stand out. Most of the prints were focused on the lands and animals that occupy the artists communities, some with strong influences of the marine life.
The last part of the exhibition was the photographic images of Bindi Cole, highlighting the way trans gender Indigenous people in the Tiwi Islands are outcast from the community. During the times of Catholicism, the term used for trans gender people 'Yimpininn' was phased out and the Indigenous peoples attitudes became those like the Western society, showing no sympathy towards these people.
Bindi's pictures range in stylization and some are more successful than others. Below is an image titled 'Jemima', who is traditionally dressed with natural surroundings, I think some of the other photos tried to over stylize the subject.
Overall, this exhibition was interesting and insightful towards the beliefs and attitudes of the Indigenous communities.
b.mac
