Sharing & connecting with First Nations art

Tue 28 May 2024

QAGOMA’s free monthly Art & This Place tours invite you to grow your knowledge of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art and culture, the Gallery recently welcomed Kalkadoon woman and artist Sandy Harvey as the new facilitator of these tours. Harvey spoke with Hannah Grzesiak about her connection to the Gallery, and her passion for supporting artists and sharing their stories with the community.

Paddy Bedford Wirwirji – Police Hole 2004

What sparked your passion for art?
One of my earliest memories is of mixing paint from ochres on my nan’s cattle station out bush near Mount Isa, where I was born. However, growing up in such a small town, there was no focus at all on the arts. My other nanna was supportive, encouraging me to engage with the arts through craft activities and drawing. But it wasn’t until I moved to Townsville, aged 13, that my passion for art really started. I participated in a Flying Arts Alliance initiative, an Experience the Arts week in Grade 11, and went on a trip to Brisbane for the first time. I had to fundraise and work to be able to join the program. During that trip to Brisbane, they hosted every kind of art program and experience you could imagine. We got to do immersive hands-on workshops, hear lots of lectures and talks, and visit many galleries — including QAG. We took a trip down the river on a ferry towards QAG, and I remember thinking, ‘Oh my god, this is it. This is a pinnacle for artists’. That is when my obsession with the Gallery started.

Why do you think it’s important for people to engage with Indigenous Australian Art?
I think it’s important because we are the first storytellers and the first makers of this place. For so long, we didn’t have a voice, and the ancestors that have come before me paved the way for us to have a voice today. There is so much nuance, meaning and depth, and so many layers that go into creating each artwork. If you sit and speak to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists while they are painting and creating their stories, they will share with you so openly, genuinely and without hesitation. It’s such a beautiful thing. I consider it an honour to work at QAGOMA and to help share the artists’ stories with people. It’s about giving that voice back.

Kaylene Whiskey Working 9 to 5 2022

Could you tell us about one of the artworks that you explore on the tour and what it means to you?
Kaylene Whiskey’s Working 9 to 5 2022 (illustrated) is a standout for me on the tour — although it’s hard to pick only one! Whiskey is a Yankunytjatjara artist whose portraits celebrate women she views as powerful and heroic. Working 9 to 5 is painted onto an enamel street sign, originally a road sign from the Aboriginal-owned Iwantija Arts Centre where she works, roughly 1200 kilometres north-west of Adelaide in the APY Lands. The artwork features seven iconic female pop culture figures, including Dolly Parton, Cher and Tina Turner, to name a few, and is a contemporary reinterpretation of the ancient Kungkarangkalpa Tjukurpa (Seven Sisters Dreaming). For me this work embodies the artist’s generosity in storytelling: it’s fun, creative and imaginative. Whiskey acknowledges her roots and her culture, while putting a fun twist on it and just being herself.

What do you hope for tour attendees to take away from the experience?
I hope that tour attendees learn a little bit more about this place and feel encouraged to pause, think and connect with First Nations artwork in the future. I hope they gain a greater understanding that the stories behind First Nations art are complex, and that we all have stories that need to be heard. These tours create a welcoming space to come together and share stories.

Art & This Place : First Nations Tours

Join Sandy Harvey as she highlights artworks from the Gallery’s Collection and delve into the complex stories of history, culture and place that they tell.

Explore the work of artists Judy Watson (illustrated), artists of the Hermannsburg School, Iltja Ntjarra artists, Kaylene Whiskey (illustrated), Aubrey Tigan, Paddy Bedford (illustrated)), Robert Andrew and more.

Art & This Place tours are free and presented monthly. You can find all upcoming tours at qagoma.qld.gov.au/artandthisplace

Judy Watson tow row 2016

Sandy Harvey is Project Officer, Public Programs, and Hannah Grzesiak is A/Senior Programming Officer, Public Engagement, QAGOMA.