ALCASTON GALLERY will once again be exhibiting Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists at Cairns Indigenous Art Fair from 17 – 19 August at the beautifully renovated and historic Cairns Cruise Liner Terminal. Our three adjoining stands at CIAF will feature work by a hand-picked selection of established and emerging artists including CLINTON NAIN, SALLY GABORI and EMILY EVANS, along with artists from MORNINGTON ISLAND ART and PORMPURAAW ARTS AND CULTURE CENTRE. Clinton Nain and Sally Gabori will also be represented in the exhibition at Cairns Regional Gallery Where the art leads: new explorations by Queensland Indigenous artists, curated by CIAF Artistic Director, Avril Quaill.
CLINTON NAIN is a painter, dancer, performer and storyteller. He is a Melbourne-based artist with a rich cultural heritage; his father’s lineage is from Denmark and Ireland, and his mother was born in the Torres Strait Islands, north of Queensland. Clinton Nain’s artwork fervently engages a political, cultural and social discourse; his work focuses on the idea of resistance and existence, and the ongoing struggle faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Yet, throughout their plight, love as a driving force for their survival - the thing that has holds indigenous Australians together as a people.
A mid-career contemporary artist, Clinton Nain exhibits both nationally and internationally and is represented in most major institutions in Australia, including the National Gallery of Australia, National Gallery of Victoria, Queensland Art Gallery and Art Gallery of South Australia.
MIRDIDINGKINGATHI JUWARNDA SALLY GABORI has taken the art world by storm since her introduction to paint and canvas in 2005, and is one of the most highly regarded and sought after contemporary Australian artists. Colour and canvas became the catalyst for the creation of an entirely unique visual language for Sally Gabori; a way to explore life, landscape and memory. With each sweeping brushstroke she transcends western visual art culture, taking us on a journey through her much beloved country. Her loose, painterly interpretations of country manage to capture the hearts and minds of the most unsuspecting art lover.
Sally Gabori’s artwork continues to be in high demand both here and abroad with institutions and informed collectors from New York, London, Netherlands, France and parts of Asia acquiring her artwork for their collections. In 2010 Sally Gabori exhibited to great acclaim at her first solo exhibition in London when Alcaston Gallery presented Mundamurra ngijinda dulk: My Island Home at The Gallery in Cork Street, Mayfair. Alcaston Gallery has also exhibited Sally Gabori annually at Korea International Art Fair, Seoul, Korea since 2009. This year, Sally Gabori was selected for unDisclosed: 2nd National Indigenous Art Triennial at the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, and is a finalist in the Togart Contemporary Art Award 2012. In June 2012, Sally Gabori was announced winner of the prestigious $50,000 Gold Award for contemporary painting, held at the Rockhampton Art Gallery in Rockhampton, Queensland.
EMILY NGARNAL EVANS was born into the Lardil people in 1975 and has lived her life on Gunana, Mornington Island, in the Gulf of Carpentaria, Queensland. She was educated in her traditional culture from the senior men in her life, in particular her late father Kulhangarr Kenneth Jacobs. When her father passed away in 2003, his children and grandchildren had inherited a rich cultural legacy. Emily began painting in 2005, inspired by his teachings and cultural intellect; her paintings and ceramics represent designs associated with the totems of Balibal (Spotted Stingray).
It is both a contemporary expression of her beliefs, culture and country, and a personal metaphor for her relationship with her beloved and revered father. The saltwater people of Mornington Island are cultural caretakers of the sea and surrounding landscape, and Emily Evans’ sophisticated interpretation of this is breathtakingly admired by art lovers. In the real, they captivate and astound the viewer, leaving you no choice except to marvel at her craftsmanship. In 2012, Emily Evans was Highly Commended at the Shepparton Art Museum Indigenous Ceramic Art Award.
MORNINGTON ISLAND ART was established in 198O and represents 4O artists from the Mornington and Bentinck Island communities. The main language groups represented at Mornington Island Art are Lardil, Kayardild and Yangkall. In 2OO6, the Kaidilt group of Bentinck Island women joined Lardil artists at Mornington Island Art. Lardil people have a long artistic history, painting and making artefacts unique to Mornington Island, including ceremonial dance hats, kajawur, made from spun human hair, ochres and bark. These artists had operated in virtual isolation from the mainstream art market until 2OO5. The art centre is famous for its colourful contemporary paintings that push the boundaries of traditional Indigenous art. The centre is Aboriginal owned and managed. Over the years, it has represented high profile artists such as SALLY GABORI and PAULA PAUL. Mornington Island Art is the home of one of the most exciting art movements in Australia today.
PORMPURAAW ARTS & CULTURE CENTRE - Located on the western coast of the Cape York Peninsula in the Gulf of Carpentaria, Pormpuraaw is famous for its gulf fishing. Situated between two rivers, and surrounded by reefs, the area in and around Pormpuraaw flourishes with birds, fish, crocodiles and various sea creatures. Pormpuraaw is home to two major language groups: Thaayorre and Mungkan. The Thaayorre people are traditionally from Pormpuraaw, while the Mungkan people moved to the area from the north of Cape York. Generally speaking, the Thaayorre people are the ‘Saltwater’ people and the Mungkan are the ‘Freshwater’ people, and both language groups share in art and culture in Pormpuraaw. Culture is strong in Pormpuraaw, and the artists work in painting, large-scale murals, printmaking, weaving and wood carving inspired by their environment, and traditional dreamtime stories. We also work in digital formats to produce films about language and culture.
