Visual
Arts
A
VISUAL FEAST
Our
richest program ever! From Rangoli ground paintings in the Indian tradition
by visiting artist Ranbir Kaur and the Mandala of the Gyuto Monks, to the
spectacular flags of international flag artist Angus Watt. There will be
a special focus on the work of Anangu Pitjantjatjara artists from the Far
North of South Australia.
ANANGU
PITJANTJATJARA ART
In
a first for the festival, WOMADELAIDE is featuring the visual arts of indigenous
Australians through the work of Anangu Pitjantajatjara artists.
Anangu
are the people of the lands in the Far North of South Australia, from communities
and homelands across the northern part of the State from the Stuart Highway
across to the Western Australian border.
Their
art belongs to perhaps the oldest surviving contemporary indigenous art
movement in Australia and features a design approach known since the early
1940s as walka: Pitjantjatjara for design or pattern.
WOMADELAIDE
has been working with Ananguku Arts & Crafts (the Anangu artists’ collective),
Art Centres at Ernabella, Fregon, Indulkana and Amata and Country Arts
SA towards presenting this remarkable but under-exposed work to the festival’s
audience.
Anangu
Ngura
(People’s
Camp)
On-site
in the park you will find the largest-ever representation of walka and
Anangu Pitjantjatjara art and craft, with Ernabella, Fregon, Indulkana
and Amata art centres displaying and selling everything from ceramics and
paintings to finely-crafted batiks and enchanting carvings. Few people
have the opportunity to visit the art centres themselves, so this is a
rare chance indeed, not just to buy works but to meet the artists themselves.
2001
Design [ click to enlarge ]
Our
imagery for this year features details from a typically fine artwork from
one of Ernabella’s rising stars, Lexie Michael, who will be present at
the festival: Ernabella Walka (Pitjantjatjara: design or pattern) Tjanpi,
Kuru Malu (Spinifex, Eyes and Kangaroo), 50cmx56cm acrylic on canvas, ©
Lexie Michael, Ernabella Art Inc.
Walka
Flags
In
a unique collaboration with international flag artist Angus Watt, a series
of flags around the site will celebrate the walka. Angus visited Anangu
Pitjantjatjara lands in November and worked with artists to produce flags
using a mixture of painting and applique techniques. More flags will be
made during the week leading up to WOMADELAIDE, with 24 Anangu Pitjantjatjara
artists working with Angus in a workshop at the Port Adelaide headquarters
of Country Arts SA. These flags will tour to WOMAD festivals overseas before
returning to the communities in the Far North.
This
project was proudly assisted by Country Arts SA, Arts SA and Aboriginal
& Torres Strait Islander Commission.
ANGUS
WATT
Angus
Watt’s approach to flagmaking has made him one of the most in-demand public
art practitioners in the UK and Europe where, often working with his sister
Shona, he has completed many major commissions and impressed hundreds of
thousands of people with the beauty, simplicity and uniqueness of his creations.
In
particular, the celebrated designer has made a substantial mark on the
popular and prestigious WOMAD (World Of Music, Arts & Dance) festivals
around the world.
He
has been commissioned to create work for WOMADs in Reading (UK), Sicily
(Italy), the Gran Canarias, Caceres (Spain), San Francisco and Seattle
(USA), Adelaide (Australia), Auckland (NZ), Singapore, Prague (Czech Republic),
Las Palmas (Spain) and Johannesburg (South Africa) since 1994.
Angus
set WOMADELAIDE aflutter with his spectacular creations at the 1999 festival.
This was the first time his work had been displayed in Australia and the
visual impact, in the green and tranquil Botanic Park site, was immense.
With
a degree in Fine Art (sculpture) from Newcastle University in the UK and
arts in the blood (father Tom was a celebrated painter), Angus grew up
in a world where art and beauty was valued and encouraged. He acknowledges
this as a great source for his work.
He
has won numerous Awards from the following British organizations – the
Crafts Council, the Northern Arts Council, the Southern Arts Council and
the South West Arts Council and was also a recipient of a Winston Churchill
Fellowship.
Angus’s
talent lies in his ability to be flexible and original and transform the
broadest variety of outdoor spaces into colourful and stylish, changeable
environments. He has collaborated with students and fellow artists
on many projects.
HUMANATURE
An
alternative approach to the construction of public art monuments, HUMANATURE
is a site-specific project which transforms plants and trees by day into
monumental head sculptures by night. The illusion is produced through
slide or video projection of computer-manipulated portraits, pre-recorded
video or live video feeds of actors onto trees, which have a similar 3-dimensional
shape as a head. The effect is a monumental head glowing in the darkness.
The
Art of Rangoli: Ranbir Kaur (India)
The
ephemeral ground art of Rangoli celebrates the creativity of thousands
of women within the diverse cultures of India. Ground painting is
a living tradition, and Indian women’s ground art has remained a personal
statement, a ritual which may celebrate a family occasion or simply be
an offering to the gods to protect their home and family. The tradition
has been passed from mother to daughter for generations and is an artistic
expression which manifests itself through many different materials and
techniques, depending on the specific cultural context. Women of
all ages work with a variety of media including chalk, natural ochres,
sugar paste, rice paste or grains etc.
Over
the last ten years, since taking up residency in the UK, Ranbir Kaur has
worked as an artist and teacher, to raise the profile of arts and crafts
of Asian women, which for many are an integral part of their daily lives
throughout the world. Ranbir and her daughter Prabhmeet will create
a series of Rangoli paintings over the Womadelaide weekend. As well
as, conducting workshops introducing children to the tradition of creating
rangoli designs and the role they play within the lives of Indian women.
Ranbir’s
early life was spent both in India and Uganda, returning to India from
Uganda before finally moving to the UK in 1989. She has worked extensively
in her field as an artist and teacher. Whilst still in India she
presented arts and educational programmes for national television, and
since moving to UK her work has included training teachers, working in
primary and secondary education as well as carrying out commissions and
exhibiting in galleries and museums. Her work in the arts and education
has helped to engender a strong sense of identity, self-respect and confidence
amongst Asian communities in the UK.
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