‘Kakadu’ – An artist’s perspective

An artists trip into remote Kakadu results in an exhibition filled with poignant encounters and quiet reflections.

Earlier this year Mike Mitchell, Director of Mitchell Fine Art organised a week long trip to a remote location in Kakadu in the Northern Territory. The destination was a sacred location, one which holds artefacts that are evidence that Aboriginal people have lived in Australia for 18,000 years longer previously estimated.

For artists Euan Macleod, Steve Lopes, Christine Christophersen, Franck Gohier and Peter Hudson it was a special opportunity to encounter the sacred site, and meet with the Aboriginal traditional owners. Working en plein air, each artist produced works in response to the site and the stories told, resulting in an exhibition of unique insight.

Travelling to Western Arnhem land the group spent time with traditional owners and their families. They encountered the land through their hosts, visiting rock art and learning about the area and the immense significance of country for the local Aboriginal people.

The works on display are charged with an immediacy of the encounter, and are anchored by the rich knowledge of the land that was shared with them. Energetic brush strokes, are matched with considered subject matter. The importance of the land and the relationships of the people with the land are clear in the specific titles, including ‘Big Bill’s Camp’ and ‘Anna’s Place Arnhem Land’.

Opening this Friday 1 September, the exhibition is an insight into a rare part of the outback that not many are privileged to encounter. Each artist brings a poignant reflection of the land and their own experience within it.

EXHIBITION
‘Kakadu’ – An artist’s perspective
1 – 23 September 2017
Mitchell Fine Art Gallery, Brisbane

Courtesy the artists and Mitchell Fine Art Gallery, Brisbane.