Sung Into Being: Aboriginal Masterworks 1984–94

Overview

Drawing upon Australia's extensive history of indigenous art, the Queensland Art Gallery shines a spotlight on significant pieces from the decade spanning 1984 to 1994. From July 22 to October 22, more than 100 paintings and sculptures by eight Australian Aboriginal artists will grace QAG's walls, as sourced from the Janet Holmes à Court Collection.

Sung Into Being: Aboriginal Masterworks 1984–94's specific timeframe of interest isn't an accident or an arbitrary choice, as gallery director Chris Saines explains. "This exhibition captures an intensely productive and exciting period when Aboriginal art first began to be exhibited and collected as fine art, and embodies both the stylised aesthetic of the Kimberley and the colour palette and imagery of central and southern Arnhem Land," he notes.

Highlights include pieces by Rover Joolama Thomas, Jack Wunuwun, Jack Kalakala and Les Mirrikkuriya, as well as an overall focus on pieces that convey songs and ceremonies connected with the creation of the land. It's the kind of cultural and history lesson that can only spring from looking at the real thing — and it's free in an exclusive-to-Queensland run.

Image: Rover Joolama Thomas Kukatja/Wangkajunga people. c1926-1988. The shade from the hill comes over and talks in language. 1984. Janet Holmes à Court Collection.