Not Rubens

Samson and Delilah is a Northern Territory movie that has made it to this year's 'Un Certain Regard' selection at Cannes. I am just coming out from a screening session and it left me with a strange feeling. It justly depicts the sad reality of the parrallel life many aboriginals unfortunately live in this country. There is no denying that despite the National Pardon the scars remain deep in this part of the world. If your view of Australia is one of kangaroos, koalas and exotism, do not forget that there is also another side that is not that visible to the average tourist but that is a reality you cannot escape from. The way this movie is filmed is simply exceptional and filled with sensitivity and realism. I can't promise you two hours of fun but you will certainly come out of this screening with a better understanding of the Aboriginal suffering. The actors are extraordinary and the music is unforgettable. I sincerely hope it can win a prize at Cannes in order to bring it to a wider audience. An absolute must see!

Paintings...

Voila! It is finally done. After a few days sawing, nailing, sticking, assembling wooden chassis, the aboriginal paintings I bought in Australia finally are up on my French walls. And they sit there perfectly. You actually only see a couple of them on this picture (a Ningura Napurrula from Napunya and an Antoni Janima from Stirling Station). There is also a nice bark painting that I brought back from the village of the middle of the Sentani lake (not far from Jayapura, the capital city of Western Papua). It is frustrating not to have a bigger house!

Ochre Pits

Here I am in Alice Springs (also known as 'The Alice'). It is very hot but dry. As a result I am hardly sweating at 39ºC while I am dripping in water in Singapore when it not even 26ºC. The walks amongst the MacDonnell ranges are absolutely soothing . It is pure silence except from the wind and a few insects and birds. The smells are particularly fantastic. Gum trees, barks and dry woods. I also made it to the Ochre Pits which are no longer used but that have been of importance to the Aboriginal communities when they were trading the Ochre whith other communities. They consist in several layers of multi-coloured, layered rock that were traditionally used by Australian Aborigines in ceremonies and in painting. They are considered some of the choicest ochre and are soft to touch, vivid, with a slight sheen to it. The colours are truly amazing when seen for real, especially the golden and yellow ochres.

Papunya Tula

As mentioned earlier in this blog, upon arrival here, I did not know very much about Aboriginal painting even though I appreciated it from day one. Visiting galleries, talking to people, reading books I am now starting to have a much better idea and comprehension of all the different movements and schools as we would call them in Europe. There are so many different styles from the Arnhem bark paintings depicting the local wildlife to the Central desert dot painting through the Western Desert amazing ochres. Visiting galleries inspire me so much but kind of make me feel dizzy because of this explosion of colours and creativity Aboriginal Artists seem to be gifted with. The most famous movement was initiated in the 70s in Kintore / Papunya station over 200 km from Alice Springs and a wonderful book which details the lives of all the contributors to the Papunya Tula movement was issued last November. Essential!

In the picture my favourite living Artist, Walangkura Napanangka.

It's Friday, it's fishy... It's fish!

I mentioned it on a few occasions on this blog before and here it is. The Barramundi, also known as Mr. Barra, is THE fish of the Northern Territory. Its name originates from the aboriginal word meaning "large-scaled river fish". It is actually not currently the season and the only Barra you can buy is frozen and as a result is not the best. From the different options to see some "alive" and "for real" are Aquascene in Darwin or the Aquariums that scatter the region.

Aboriginal Art

I have always enjoyed Aboriginal Art and even more so since I have been confronted to the amazing collection of the Ian Potter Centre in Melbourne some years back. Now that I am in the Northern Territory there is no better place to acquire a better knowledge of what is going on but also to acquire a few paintings myself. I have started to look around in a few galleries and gather information about the Art on display. Prices can easily go as high as 30 or 40 thousand dollars for some pieces. I am now keeping an eye some paintings from Walangkura Napanangka who belongs to the Pintupi people but who also is part of the famous Papunya Tula school of Artists. She amazingly only started to paint a dozen years ago but her works have already gathered quite an international acclaim. Now if you want to donate a few dollars to help me buy some paintings, feel free to do so :-)

A closer look

Here's a closer look at the 'Art' painted on the fire tank at Vopak fuel terminal in Darwin. I tried to get more information and I understood that this colourful and powerful design was painted by several aboriginal artists from the Larrakia Nation’s Art Centre. The ‘Tank Art Project’ was carried out on the instructions of Vopak and the government of the Northern Territory. The paint might not be suitable for the fuel tanks themselves and it is a shame as it would be very nice to have all them decorated as such.

Tank Art Project

Public Art is often so subtle or in reverse so 'over your face' that you sometimes do not notice it. For example, there is so much street Art in Singapore that it took me sometimes weeks to realise there was actually a sculpture located on my way to a place I used to pass by dozens of times a week. Maybe it is because I am generally less used to see Aboriginal Art in the streets but I seem to be more receptive or to notice all the displays in the Darwin area more than I would usually do. That said, it is difficult to miss the fire water tank that is located at the Port Fuel Terminal!