Premier & Trade, Peter Beattie 17/02/02
Aurukun Sculptors Carving New Direction for CHOGM A landmark exhibition of Indigenous sculpture will take Cape York culture to CHOGM* and allow a remote community to profit from the international leaders' forum. Premier Peter Beattie today inspected a Brisbane workshop to see the finishing touches applied to a CHOGM-bound exhibition of sculptures produced by artists from Aurukun. "This is a truly exciting project, where Indigenous people from Cape York Peninsula will have the opportunity to share in the international limelight of CHOGM," Mr Beattie said. "Eight artists from the western Cape community of Aurukun have created sculpted images based on their traditional carving designs. "These originals - made of plasticine and wood - are now being turned into twelve limited edition aluminium and bronze statues. "The statues, depicting animals and flora such as turtles, crocodiles, water lilies, sharks, dingoes, brolgas, Torres Strait pigeons, plains turkey and turtles, will be on display at CHOGM, in an exhibition that will reinforce the uniqueness of the Queensland CHOGM experience. "They have the potential generating a healthy income for the remote Aboriginal community." Mr Beattie said people from a far-flung, economically under-developed region will pocket the profits of a gathering of Commonwealth leaders. "Just as I won't miss an opportunity to promote our wild produce and quality wines to the world, I won't hesitate to sell our unique art works off-shore. "These sculptures are an investment to enhance any collection. They are not simply works of arts but encapsulate lore, stories and knowledge of thousands of years of complex civilisation. "They are a must-have for any head of government's boardroom, be it in Lusaka or London." Mr Beattie was joined at the foundry by one of the artists, Craig Koomeeta, the current holder of the national Telstra Indigenous Art Award for sculpture. The Premier said the Aurukun sculpture program demonstrated the Government's commitment to economic development in Indigenous communities, and was an application of the Smart State philosophy. "By giving a Smart State edge to traditional skills, this project gives traditional artisans access to a new market," Mr Beattie said. "The eight artists are acknowledged masters of an internationally recognised sculptural tradition which uses media such as wood and natural fibres. "To learn how to cast in durable materials like bronze and other metals, they worked with a Brisbane-based team, including urban-based Indigenous artists Ron Hurley, from Urban Arts Project (UAP). "They spent a week in workshops at Aurukun followed by sessions at the UAP foundry at Eagle Farm. "In terms of artistic evolution, the shift to durable materials could be as significant as introducing canvas to Western Desert artists who had painted only on bark, in the 1970s. "This is the start of a new tradition, and may be the beginning of a new industry for Cape York." "I gather initial interest from collectors and specialists has been very strong, and there is now talk about taking the exhibition off-shore to an international art fair later this year. The sculptures are the result of a pilot project involving a partnership between the Queensland Government, the Aurukun Art Centre, Brisbane-based company UAP and art dealer Andrew Baker. "The project builds on the Indigenous Art Promotion Project which produced a showcase book and exhibition, Gatherings.The exhibition was a centrepiece of the CHOGM People's Festival in Brisbane in 2001. "Leaders attending CHOGM 2002 are receiving copies of the book Gatherings, which features work by 104 Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists. "Art is a proven way of generating income - including export income - for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Queenslanders," Mr Beattie said. "This sculpture exhibition is a new opportunity for artists to market their works to the world." *CHOGM, the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, will take place at the Sunshine Coast from March 2-5. It will include representatives of about 50 Commonwealth countries. The sculpture will be exhibited at Novotel Twin Waters Resort, where Commonwealth leaders will be staying and gathering. --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] --------------------------------------------------------------------- RecOzNet2 has a page @ http://www.green.net.au/recoznet2 and is archived at http://www.mail-archive.com/recoznet2%40paradigm4.com.au/ until 11 March, 2001 and Recoznettwo is archived at http://www.mail-archive.com/recoznettwo%40green.net.au/ from that date. This posting is provided to the individual members of this group without permission from the copyright owner for purposes of criticism, comment, scholarship and research under the "fair use" provisions of the Federal copyright laws and it may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner, except for "fair use."
