A new exhibition Saltwater Country is set to open at the Museum of Contemporary Aboriginal Art in Utrecht on January 11, showing a great diversity of art produced by sixteen artists from Queensland’s coastal regions in north-east Australia. They have given visual expression to their experience and knowledge of the coastline in a variety of mediums including paintings, installations of large fishing nets made from recycled material, washed-up objects cast in bronze, as well as photographic artworks about the first encounters with Europeans.
Art from the coastal regions of Queensland
Queensland is known for its beautiful coastline and expansive beaches, mangroves, tropical islands and the Great Barrier Reef. It is well known that Aboriginal people have a strong connection with their land, but less known about their ties to the sea and coastal areas. This is where the Dutch first encountered the Aboriginal population in 1606.
Land and Sea: Present and Past
Some of the artworks included in this Exhibition depict the earliest meetings with Europeans, and forced labour imposed on Aborigines during the nineteenth century. Other artists focus on the influence that climate change and pollution are having on the sea and beaches. But above all, the artists featured in this dynamic exhibition offer a deeper understanding of their land and sea and appreciation of this unique coastal region.
Saltwater Country Artists
Many powerful and internationally critically acclaimed artists have emerged from Queensland in recent years. In Saltwater Country sixteen artists are represented: Vernon Ah Kee, Daniel Boyd, Michael Cook, Megan Cope, Erub Arts, Fiona Foley, Rosella Namok, Mavis Ngallametta, Laurie Nilsen, Napolean Oui, Ryan Presley, Brian Robinson, Ken Thaiday, Alick Tipoti, Ian Waldron, Judy Watson.
Saltwater Country , a touring exhibition, is presented in close cooperation with Museums & Galleries Queensland and Gold Coast City Gallery. Curated by Michael Aird and Virginia Rigney. Saltwater Country has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council for the Arts, and supported by the Visual Arts and Craft Strategy, an initiative of the Australian, State and Territory governments. This project has received financial assistance from the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland’s Backing Indigenous Arts program. The project is supported by the Australian Government through the Australia International Cultural Council, an initiative of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade; and by the City of Gold Coast.
