What is an Aboriginal, and what is art?

11/08/2015

In the spirit of NAIDOC, Mr Djon Mundine OAM, curator, writer, artist and activist, will be speaking on the topic of 'What is an Aboriginal, and what is art?' in the Common Room tomorrow, 12 August 2015 at 2.00pm. Members are encouraged to attend.

Djon is a Bandjalung man from northern New South Wales. He has held prominent curatorial positions in many national and international institutions, including the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney and Queensland Art Gallery.

Djon Mundine's curatorial work is known for an emphasis on intricacy and difference in content and style while not compromising on the artists' cultural and political statements. He has helped revolutionise the criticism and display of contemporary Aboriginal art including triumphs such as They are Meditating: Bark Paintings from the MCA's Arnott's Collection (2008) and The Native Born (MCA, 1996), an exhibition and publication which pioneered the showing of both ceremonial and utilitarian weaving and the richness and depth of artistic work from Ramingining community. This led to the inclusion of artists such as Robyn Djunginy in the 1998 Sydney Biennale and in biennales worldwide. Djon Mundine was art and craft adviser at Milingimbi in the Crocodile Islands in 1979 and curator at Bula-bula Arts in Ramingining in Arnhem Land where he originated Australia’s greatest artwork, the Aboriginal Memorial, comprising 200 painted poles by forty-three artists from Ramingining, each symbolising a year since the 1788 'intervention' by the British. The Memorial was central to the 1988 Biennale of Sydney and is on permanent display at the National Gallery of Australia.

In 1993 Djon received the Medal of the Order of Australia for service to the promotion and development of Aboriginal arts, crafts and culture. In 2005-2006 he was Research Professor at The National Museum of Ethnology (Minpaku) in Osaka, Japan. In 2012 he curated 'Bungaree: The First Australia, an exhibition of commissioned artworks by sixteen New South Wales Aboriginal artists for the Mosman Art Gallery, Sydney, which toured Australia 2013-4. In 2013 he also co-curated (with Natalie King) the Aboriginal digital media exhibition Shadow Life for the Bendigo Art Gallery, which toured to Bangkok, Taiwan and Singapore). His recent work includes curating the TarraWarra Biennial 2014: Whisper in My Mask (also with Natalie King) at the TarraWarra Museum of Art in Victoria.

Djon is currently a Phd student at College of Fine Arts, University of New South Wales and independent curator.