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Friday, 24 September 2004

Nyoongar Art

Today on English Bites you can visit the Art Gallery of Western Australia and see artworks created by the Nyoongar people of the Perth area.

BRENDA L. CROFT: You look at their paintings and again and again they're painting things that obviously give them peace, which is landscapes, you know, landscapes of the south west. And they're really beautiful works.

JONATHAN BEAL: 'South West Central' marks the first time the gallery has compiled a survey of Nyoongar artistic tradition. It chronicles the arrival of Europeans in the early 19th century, the push for equality in the 1960s and '70s and the focus on reconciliation in the late 20th century.

The works include mixed media, textiles, grass sculptures, ceramics and playful reinterpretations of European artistic tradition.

BRENDA L.CROFT: You feel a sense of calm when you come in here and also great pride, I think, great cultural pride, in seeing works from the local community represented in the State's art institution.

JONATHAN BEAL: That sense of pride is echoed by the niece of Revel Cooper, one of the 35 artists on display.

CATHY COOMER: I'm very privileged to have my uncle's art on display at the Western Australian Art Gallery. I feel a lot of inspiration into his art, the way he's worked in with his colours and the way he's done the story of his moving, of his travelling and everything like that. And it goes to show, you know, there is more beauty within the country in the south west.

story notes

their
The possessive form of they is spelled their.

Go to our spotlight to find out when to use the spellings there and they're.

they're
The contracted form of they are is spelled they're.

Go to our spotlight to find out when to use the spellings there and their.

landscapes
A landscape is a painting of country scenery.

For more on the -scape suffix, follow the link.

more information: -scape suffix

marks
brings attention to

compiled a survey
put together all of the art styles and subjects

Nyoongar artistic tradition
The Nyoongar people are the traditional owners of the area around Perth, in the south west of Australia. Their artistic tradition is all of their art work.

chronicles
records; tells about

push for equality in the 1960s and '70s
In the 1960s and seventies Aboriginal groups became more politically active in their demands for equal rights and the same treatment as the rest of the people in Australia.

focus on reconciliation
Reconciliation is the word used to describe the process of improving relations between Aboriginals and the rest of the population.

mixed media
Here, mixed media means a combination of different materials used to create art, like paint, glue, paper or metal. A mixed media artwork uses a number of media or materials such as paint and metal together.

textiles
cloth or woven materials

grass sculptures
sculptures made from dried grass

ceramics
Ceramics are objects made from clay or mud that are shaped when the clay is still wet, and then baked hard in an oven

playful reinterpretations of European artistic tradition
Painting moustaches on formal European portraits.

In this case the portrait is of Captain Cook, the first European to discover the east coast of Australia.

Some Aboriginal Australians see him as a symbol of European invasion.

sense of pride
feeling of self-worth; pleasure in achieving good things

echoed
repeated

on display
on show

privileged
well -treated; made to feel special

goes to show
demonstrates
The way petrol prices rise for holidays just goes to show that oil companies can do what they like.

there
When used as an adverb it's spelled there.

Go to our spotlight to find out when to use the spellings they're and their.

spotlight

These three words are pronounced in the same way - they’re, their and there.

view the spotlight >