MEDIA RELEASE
19 February 2009
For immediate release
ABORIGINAL ART TREASURES ARRIVE IN MORESBY
A major international exhibition of Indigenous Australian art has arrived in Port Moresby and will go on public display from this Monday at the Australian High Commission.
The exhibition, called Balgo: Contemporary Australian Art from the Balgo Hills, has been brought to Port Moresby as part of Australia Week, which this year will run from 9–13 March. While the exhibition will be officially launched during Australia Week itself, the art will be available for public viewing and school groups from this Monday, 23 February. Balgo has just finished a successful showing in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Dr Carlie Atkinson, who is curating the exhibition here in Port Moresby, is excited about the works of art on show. “These artworks are more colourful than the Indigenous artworks that many viewers would be familiar with,” she said. “They convey the energy and dynamism of the artists’ culture. The artists are mainly speakers of the Kukatja language, and they are based at the Waralyiti Centre in the remote Balgo Hills region of Western Australia.”
Australian High Commissioner Mr Chris Moraitis is also behind the exhibition. “We leapt at the chance to bring this collection to Papua New Guinea because we always get a great reception from the community here when we showcase Australian art, and particularly Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture,” he said.
“The affinity between our two peoples is strong. Other aspects of Australia Week countries will celebrate modern ties, such as sports and music. The Balgo exhibition showcases traditional culture but with a vibrant, modern twist – something I think many people here in Papua New Guinea will be able to relate to,” he said.
The Balgo collection presents stories and ceremonies of the mythic Tjukurrpa, or Dreaming, painted in a new way that blends the ancient with the contemporary, the abstract with representations of landscape, and spiritual themes with political ones.
Australia Week is held annually by the Australian High Commission to showcase Australia to the people of Papua New Guinea and to celebrate the strong bilateral ties between the two countries.
The Balgo exhibition will be open to the public between 10am and 3pm daily, Monday to Friday, until 13 March. Schools groups are most welcome to attend (bookings necessary).
Media and booking inquiries: Oliver Nombri, Public Diplomacy Office, Ph: 325 9333 ext. 454