THE Balgo – Contemporary Australian Art Exhibition launched yesterday at the Fiji Museum in Suva.
The exhibition is the result of a small indigenous community based on the outskirts of the Great Sandy Desert and the Tanami Desert of northeast Western Australia.
Balgo Hills is one of the most remote settlements in Australia, and it is this remoteness, along with the endless desert backdrop and the mix of different languages and cultures within this village that has given rise to this impressive array of artwork.
Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Stephen Smith noted that the artworks in this exhibition are more colourful than the indigenous artworks that many viewers would be familiar with, convey the energy and dynamism of the culture of the mainly Kukaja language-speaking artists¦in the Balgo Hills region.
The art present at the exhibition display a range of stories that have strong connections with the aboriginal people and their traditions.
It is hoped that the exhibition at Fiji Museum will help promote a deeper understanding of the rich and vibrant culture of Aboriginal Australia, he said.
The exhibition at Fiji Museum is possible through Artbank, the Australian government’s contemporary art rental initiative.
