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NAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia each July to acknowledge the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. This year the theme is Our languages matter. In the late 18th century, when the British invaded, there were 250 distinct Indigenous language groups, most with several dialects. Today only about 120 of those languages are still spoken: there are many attempts to reclaim languages that are almost lost, often word by meagre word. Many members of the Stolen Generation remember being beaten for speaking language, as a frontline attempt at brutal assimilation.

Stanthorpe Regional Art Gallery in partnership with the Granite Belt Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Corporation marks the  week with an exhibition of Aboriginal art by local and visiting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists. It “connects past and present, people and land, spirituality and reality,” representing one of the oldest ongoing traditions of art in the world. It offers me many pleasures: design, colour and familiarities.

The first collage is a mix of items behind glass: Aboriginal designs on wood, cap, ceramics, shells, and baby jumpsuits. The two brown and black wooden bowls are by Timeika Reena Slockee; the shells by Aurora De Vries; and to my shame I didn’t record Jumpsuit details.

A few artists are so distinctive that I recognise them instantly: Krishna Heffernan’s “Gum flowers”, “Campfire”, “Creek bubbles” and “Brisbane River”, all bright with acrylic, paper and thread on canvas …

… Corina Graham’s mixed media with gold leaf …

… Rod McIntosh’s elegant stylised animals …

… and Timeika Rena Slockee’s “Sandhills”, “Wild flowers at the waterhole”,  “Mothers of nature” and the painting that expresses the theme of NAIDOC week, “Reconnecting language.”



There are too many painting that please me to feature each one separately, so here’s a collage with attributions clockwise from the top left: Chenaya Bancroft-Davis’ linoprint “Sacred site”: Maris de Vries’  “Mudfish” (acrylic on canvas): Bronwyn Smith’s “Fish trap” (acrylic on canvas): Chenaya Bancroft-Davis’ “Jacaranda season” (acrylic on canvas): another Bronwyn Smith “Fish trap” (acrylic on canvas): Marica Staples’ “Emus” (acrylic on canvas): Tully de Vries’ “Gali lady” (acrylic on canvas): Amanda Watts-Nyoor’s “Kungarakan mum” (acrylic on canvas): and in the centre Amarina Nhaynes’ “Moorgumpin Nguru Wandehn – Moreton Bay spirits” (acrylic on canvas).

I can’t resist a few closeups: Charmaine Davis’ “The rocks” (acrylic on canvas) because of its connection with boulder country …


… and River Brando Binge’s “Miri Mari – star people” because of its drama and the way it mixes traditional Aboriginal dots, handprints and figure with modern owl and starbursts in a circle.


I end my personalised exhibition with the unexpectedness of a shower curtain, Melanie Forbes’ black and white “Tree of life” (digital print on PEVA) …

… and, for my daughter whose avatar is the quoll, Kim Charles’ “Spotted quoll” (acrylic on canvas).