Aboriginal Dreamtime Fine Art Gallery is pleased to present In Our Father’s Eyes: Works by Sisters Tarisse & Sarrita King. In Our Father’s Eyes will portray Tarisse & Sarrita King’s connection, love, and respect for their father, William King (1966-2007), who sadly passed away at the young age of 41 years old. Through their artwork, they are able to continue their father’s dreamings, and keep their family spiritually connected. The dreaming stories that they continue, portray the Earth’s five elements from an aerial perspective. The opening reception is on Thursday, June 10 from 6 to 8 pm and will run from June 10, 2010 to August 14, 2010.
Tarisse King, born on September 4th, 1986, spent most of her youth in Darwin, where her mother still resides. At the age of 16, she moved to Adelaide to be with her father. During this time, she was exposed to her traditional culture and the powerful imagery of her father’s paintings. The imagery in her painting’s represent many of the features found in and around Katherine. These features include rivers, rock holes, billabongs and rock shelters. Her ‘Water Dreaming’ series represent water, it’s rivers and wetlands. Aboriginal people feel a spiritual connection to the land, rivers and wetlands. Many of them are named and linked to creation stories and it is believed to be inhabited by spirit beings. Her ‘Salt Pools’ painting (shown above) depicts a topographical view of salt lakes with pink hues in appearance. There are many salt lakes in the arid zone of Australia and the organisms that live in the them, produce glycerol and b-carotene, which often give the lake a pink color.
Sarrita King, born on March 5th, 1988, spent most of her youth in Darwin as well. Sarrita’s inspiration is the amazing environment she grew up within the Northern Territory, from the big rains to the lightning storms and the constantly changing earth. Sarrita often visited her father in Adelaide spending time with him in his studio. During 2005, Sarrita made several extended visits having become very interested in his art. After completing high school in Darwin and being accepted by the South Australian Institute of Sport for netball, Sarrita moved to Adelaide permanently. Sarrita’s ‘Lightning Dreaming’ series is inspired by the heavy rains of the wet season, which replenishes the land and is vital to the surivival of the Gurindji people. Sarrita explains that form a young age these big rains have fascinated her. She says she would find new patterns and colors every time she watched these amazing natural occurences. Sarrita has a unique style of very fine dot painting. She flicks the painting stick to “tail” each dot giving a fascinating visual effect of movement. This effect, coupled with her contemporary use of metallic acryllic paint, makes her paintings shimmer. At the age of 18, she had her first exhibition at the National Aboriginal Cultural Institute (Tandanya) in Adelaide. The exhibition was a sellout heralding Sarrita’s outstanding promise as an artist.
In 2008, Sarrita & Tarisse had their work included in the EWB exhibition, comprising of 14 exhibitions across Australia. They have also had 4 exhibitions with her sister and father, in Sydney and Melbourne.
Wiliam (Bill) King Jungala, was born in Katherine (Northern Territory) in 1966. From a young age, William King expressed an interest in art. His grandfather, a member of the Gurindji tribe, was his teacher and mentor who told him stories about the desert. This knowledge was invaluable as his grandfather had travelled many mlles mustering accross the country and had a kinship to the land he knew so well. William spent most of the last 20 years of his life in Adelaide. By the age of 27, William was developing a very unique contemporary art style which let to his work being selected for an exhibition at the Gallery of Greater Victoria in British Columbia, Canada as part of the Commonwealth Games celebrations. His paintings are showing in many private galleries within Australia and overseas. His use of polyptychs and oils as well as acrylics, set him apart in the Aboriginal art movement. William was a passionate and intelligent man whose paintings were inspired by his attachment to the land and his intense love of life. His art is an symbol of his personal philosophy and unique artistic talent. William was one of Australia’s most popular Aboriginal artists. He is now a highly collectible artist worldwide.
