Media release from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is proud to present the
art exhibition Seasons of the Kunwinjku by artists from the Kunwinjku
clans of West Arnhem Land, Northern Territory.
This collection of contemporary Indigenous Australian art reflects the stylistic
techniques that have been employed by the Kunwinku people for over 50,000
years.
The collection of 13 paintings and 13 photographs tell the traditional stories
of the Kunwinjku clans' ancestors. While many stories relate to the Dreamtime,
the time of creation, the exhibition also provides an insight into Indigenous
culture and their knowledge about the seasonal cycles of West Arnhem Land.
The exhibition was purchased by the Department in 1994 from the Hogarth Galleries
Aboriginal Art Centre, Sydney, and continues to enjoy a successful international
touring program. To date, the exhibition has travelled to many cities around
the world including Bangkok, Shanghai, Singapore, Tokyo, Seoul, Dhaka, Karachi,
Mexico City, Manila, Buenos Aires, Caracas, Maracaibo, Bogota, Wellington,
Harare, Nairobi, Port Louis, Pretoria, Lagos, Rome, Ottowa and Port Moresby.
The exhibition is scheduled to show in Sao Paulo (Brazil) this month (May),
Hanoi (Vietnam) in July, and Vientiane (Laos) and Kathmandu (Nepal) at the
end of the year.
The exhibition is toured by the Department's Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander Program, Images of Australia Branch and is supported through Australia's
diplomatic missions.
Media Inquires:
Tracey Haines, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Program, Images of Australia
Branch (Tel: 02-6261 3942)
Anthony Murphy, Manager, Injalak Arts and Crafts, Northern Territory (Tel:
08-8979 0190)