Unusual for Aboriginal Art Directory “ a link with something to listen to!
Recently, John Kean “ an early Papunya Tula Artists staffer, researcher and frequent writer about those pioneering days at Papunya in the 70s “ was asked to give an important lecture at ACCA “ the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art in Melbourne. This dynamic operation in its famous rusty iron building has only recently under Director Max Delaney admitted the Indigenous into its purview. So it’s very positive that Kean’s thoughts “ under the title ‘Digging for Honey Ants : The Papunya Mural Project‘ “ appeared in the series ‘Defining Moments in Australian Art History’.
It’s only taken 50 years for this to be recognised!
Amongst other backgrounding and revelations, John Kean claims that Kaapa Tjampitjnpa, the leading Anmatyerre artist (along with Clifford Possum, Tim Leura and Billy Stockman) was actually taking possession of the Papunya school building by painting their Honey Ant mural upon its walls. He also deals with the issue of Geoffrey Bardon’s mythmaking about the birth of the mural.
Kean’s talk plus questions runs for an hour and nineteen minutes. At ACCA, they accompanied this with a sponsored cocktail of gin, raspberry, lime and ginger-beer! You may consider doing the same.
