Thursday, September 24, 2020

 



/https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/collection/works/204.2007.5/

Macassan prahu, information from the catalogs of AGNSW

Author's note

This black and white print of Dhuwarrwarr Marika is in display in a very prestigious position , while left and right in the same case are found two marvellous pieces of tapestry Indonesian work.

The gallery where all three displays are found is the Asian art Gallery of AGNSW.

Unless Oceania is also considered Asia the artwork of Dhuwarrwarr should not be in that gallery, while the only remark on the labels of the Indonesian tapestry is that they also depict boats and the connection then with Dhuwarrwarr's work which is an interesting example of advanced abstraction in her art, is that they are all talking of the travel among the waters between Australia and Indonesia.

But is that enough of an excuse so to combine a contemporary  artwork, the Macassan prahu with artefacts from an Asian neighbor? Even if the prestigious  nature of  the position is evident , how accurate that is?

 

No comments:

Post a Comment