By Bergen O'Brien
SYDNEY — "When I paint I am free. My heart bonds with my mind which gives me an eye so keen and a hand so steady — paints a true statement of beauty so totally free", writes Bud Lansdale, an Aboriginal artist, from Long Bay jail.
The passage appears in the catalogue for "Postcards from the Bay", an exhibition by more than 20 Aboriginal painters from the jail, on show until the end of October at Boomalli Gallery in Chippendale.
The name "Boomalli" means "to make a mark, to strike, to make a stand" in Wiradjuri, the language of the largest Aboriginal tribal area in central NSW. With this exhibition, the gallery is continuing a recent tradition in making a mark on the established notions of "Aboriginal art".
Hetti Perkins, the curator of the gallery, explains that Boomalli aims to break down the stereotypical perceptions of Aboriginal art, and to extend the range of artistic forms which are recognised as intrinsically Aboriginal.
For the greater part, Aboriginal art has broken free of the public's traditionalist expectations. Nevertheless, Aboriginal artists are still confronted by community perceptions which restrict the diversity of Aboriginal expression.
"One of those students who's still at the College of Fine Arts in the University of New South Wales", says Perkins, "was saying they still get people saying to them, 'Oh, that's not Aboriginal art', because it doesn't look Aboriginal. It's not perceived to be that stereotypical Aboriginal art."
Perkins maintains that Aboriginal artists are gradually breaking free of the 'traditionalist' model of what constitutes an Aboriginal aesthetic.
"At the moment Perspecta [which opened on October 5] has 11 Aboriginal artists and one Torres Strait Islander in that show. That's indicative of Aboriginal art being seen as valid, and as contemporary an art form as any other, and not being prescribed by ethnographic-type ideologies or anything."
The inclusion of contemporary Aboriginal artists in Australian Perspecta indicates acceptance of Aboriginal artists on their own terms.
"With the Bicentenary, there was a lot of interest in Aboriginal art from overseas, but that was mainly in the so called traditional forms, like bark. Now in this year, people are starting to become aware of the breadth of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art practice ... in quite diverse areas."
One example Perkins cites is the Aratjara exhibition, which is currently in London and will later be exhibited in Melbourne. Closer to home, "Postcards from the Bay" provides an insight into the developing forms of Aboriginal painting styles.
Perkins is wary of the potential tokenism of the International Year of Indigenous People, but at the same time acknowledges that it has helped to generate much-needed funding and exposure for Aboriginal artists.
"Special budget lines have been created that people can tap into. Again, there's this tokenism thing, some people just say 'Oh god, it's almost the end [of the International Year], and we haven't done anything'.
"So that's sort of a bad thing, but it's positive for those artists to maybe get access into those spaces, and people to see their work."
The Boomalli Gallery has four exhibitions which will be conducted annually. One is for members of the Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Co-operative (which established the gallery). An exhibition of Aboriginal artists under 21 (which will incorporate juvenile detention centre artists), is also planned.
An open invitation exhibition of Aboriginal artists from all over NSW will be presented, and also a prison artists exhibition in association with a different jail each year.
In the monotony of prison life, few prisoners have had the opportunity which the Boomalli Gallery now offers."Postcards from the Bay" is the first of the annual prisoner exhibits. It is clear from the response it has received from the inmates, that the exhibition allows a rare insight into a facet of Aboriginality.
"...you have to realise that you have a deep inner strength, to drive you, to give you strength to face it all ... We are bound physically but not mentally, nor spiritually", writes Bud Lansdale.
Boomalli Gallery's commission from sales of "Postcards from the Bay" is being directed back into Long Bay. "We're going to make a bulk purchase of art materials which we'll take out to Long Bay so the artists can keep working on it", Perkins said.
The emerging diversity of forms is not necessarily a discarding of traditional artistic forms. However, as Perkins explains, the more the barriers of expectation are broken, the more artists will be inclined to express something unique, rather than adopting traditional styles solely to be accepted.
'If there's any sort of art that we don't generally try and bring in or encourage, it's art that's very derivative — typical styles that people think is Aboriginal."
The less Aboriginal art is standardised, the more diverse the message will be.
"People have ideas of what is authentic Aboriginal art. Some artists follow that lead and paint in particular ways that fit that stereotype. That's the sort of thing that we don't encourage. We look for very individual, original or fresh work, people that are pushing it a bit", Perkins says.
The most recent of the gallery's open invitation shows, "sayin' something", was an exhibition of works by Aboriginal artists from all over NSW.
"sayin' something" had 85 works across a whole range of mediums, including kangaroo skin, paintings and even stained glass. According to Perkins, the criteria for inclusion in those types of exhibitions are far less rigid. As such, the open invitation exhibitions are an avenue for artists to have their work displayed, helping to generate new ideas between artists.
"I don't see them as very much for us, or for the public. I see them for the artists", she says. "They come in and see what all their peers are doing, and just become visually informed. They're artists — they look, they learn, and off they go. You never know what might come up next year."
Some artists do use a traditional style. "That's where they position themselves. They're not being marginalised, they choose to be there", says Perkins.
"So, and this is what Perspecta is saying, Aboriginal artists don't have to be denied their Aboriginality to participate in that sort of discourse.
"They can be contemporary artists, they can be contemporary Aboriginal artists, or they can just be artists."