An Old Landscape Through New Eyes

Description

NameAn Old Landscape Through New EyesAlternative NameExhibition of the Wesley College Melbourne Indigenous Art CollectionDescriptionThis significant exhibition of works from the Wesley College Collection is the first time they have been displayed together. Normally they are located around the three main campus sites where they are enjoyed by students, staff, parents and visitors. Collected over 15 years nearly all of these have been donated to the School through the generosity of former students.
What we find in this exhibition is a visual description of one of the oldest landscapes, as seen and described by our First Nations artists, a people who have lived here for over 40,000 years.

Surveying the exhibition, you might consider works through the lens of different styles including Abstract, Post-Colonial, Ethnographic, Contemporary or even Naif style. There are elements of these styles in all the works but what they have in common is a desire to tell the story of their connection to the sometimes harsh country that has sustained them, a connection to ancestors and a need to keep passing on traditions.

Throughout the Ages humanity has tried to understand the world around us, the seasons, the cycles of life and death of plants, animals and people. We have looked at the sky and wondered about its how? and why? History has many such people who are Seers or Seekers. We have Christian mystics, Sufis, Kabbalists, sharmans and gurus. They wrote music, poetry, prayers and instructions for living an authentic life. These paintings show a culture that asks these same questions on the mysteries of life. They are paintings of landscape and survival, ceremony and belief systems. They are not paintings of things and possessions but depict a world and belief beyond the individual. The artists are custodians of a life system that has sustained them for more than 40,000 years.
There was no written language to pass on the traditions and stories, but there was a language in the Art. First Nations people would say it is not even art but a transmission of culture from one generation to the next. These paintings show the landscape through the seasons, where to find food and campsites, water sources and sacred places. They show the spirits who protect, and the ancestors who have been before. They honour ancient ways and teach the next generation.

In that spirit you are now invited to see this Old Landscape Through New Eyes.Date2022PlaceMelbourneGeolocation^[1]The Australian Club

Publication

An Old Landscape Through New Eyes - Exhibit Brochure

Event

An Old Landscape Through New Eyes

Virtual Exhibit

An Old Landscape Through New Eyes - Virtual Tour

Exhibition brochure

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Subject (Keywords)Exhibition

Connections

CollectionIndigenous Art CollectionEventAn old landscape through new eyesVirtual ExhibitionAn Old Landscape Through New Eyes - Virtual TourURLVirtual Tour : An Old Landscape Through New Eyes

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An Old Landscape Through New Eyes