Beyond The Long Grass
29 Aug
Martiniello
On exhibition at
PAUL JOHNSTONE GALLERY
2/2 Harriet Place
Darwin
OPENING HOURS
Mon to Fri 10 am – 4 pm
Sat 10 am – 2 pm
“What inspires me endlessly is the profound depths of the cultural heritages, identities and experiences of this land which I see mirrored in the richness and complexity of our natural and contemporary environments. They are metaphors for each other and I am merely one of their many voices through which they are expressed.”
Beyond the Long Grass
Long Grass Message Sticks Story
Traditional message sticks have complex uses, e.g. convey specific messages between groups of people, be tokens of entry to, or safe passage through someone else’s country, signposts indicating specific places, or invitations to ceremony or trade. In colonized Australia the long grasses are places outside of towns and cities, usually along creeks or riverbeds, where Aboriginal people who have customarily been excluded from mainstream accommodation in towns come to camp, seek refuge and safety, and meet. This new series of Long Grass Message Sticks are intended to direct attention to these things.
The Message Stick Series:
This series of message sticks are kiln fused, cut, re-assembled and re-fused multiple times, and then wheel carved and polished. They reference both our traditional message sticks which serve various functions, such as tokens of safe passage, summons to ceremony or trade, and other forms of communication, as well as specific native birds which are known to be messengers bringing news or warning.
– JENNI KEMARRE MARTINIELLO
PHOTOGRAPHY BY FIONA MORRISON
IMAGE: Magpie Message Stick #2, 2015, Kiln fused, hot blown and wheel carved glass, 50 x 5.5 cm (irregular Ø).
