Wednesday
Feb132008
Sorry
Wed, 13 Feb 2008
Today the Australian Government finally apologised for injustices against the Aboriginal people. Tens of thousands of children were forcibly removed from their families from 1910 right up to the 1970s in an attempt at assimilation. The pain is still burning today. In celebration of the amazing culture that is one of the oldest on this planet I thought I would share the work of one of my favourite Aboriginal artists. The photo above I posted just a few days ago and I guess the reason why I love it so much is the artwork.
Minnie Pwerle was born around 1910 in the Utopia region. It was not until 1999 at over 80 years of age, that Minnie began painting on canvas. Her first series of works were linear paintings based on her experiences as a traditional ceremonial body painter, expressing a bold, free-flowing, enigmatic style that quickly drew the interest of critics and art lovers alike. In the relatively short period of time from 1999 to her death in 2006 Minnie Pwerle created a prodigious volume of paintings. Beautiful, strong, vibrant women's business.
Reader Comments (8)
beautiful, thanks for sharing jo, i love her work too!
Her work is beautiful. Great post Jo.
thanks for including this historical day by remembering the beautiful minnie pwerle
thanks for posting who this artist is! i posted about this photo on my blog after i saw it here, and asked if anyone knew who the artist was. i'm so glad to know now! it's gorgeous.
I really like it, thanks for telling me about Minnie
Wonderful post, Jo. Very humbling. Minnie's work is a fine testament to the strength of the creative spirit.
Hi,
Thanks for sharing her work with us. I saw her work I think last year in Elle Decor. They also had a picture of her. Very interesting her use of color.
Great post - yesterday made me very proud to be Australian. It's a shame its taken so long to apologise for all the injustices. Let's hope its the beginning of a new chapter in the history of our wonderful country!