1 Jul 2018

Sydney to Dunedin and back - Aboriginal artist Jonathan Jones

From Standing Room Only, 1:45 pm on 1 July 2018

Australian artists who regularly exhibit in new Zealand are rarer than you think - particularly those reflecting Australian aboriginal culture. One exception is artist Jonathan Jones - from the Wiradjuri and Kamilaroi nations of south-east Australia. Known for his work with florescent tubes, he shows with Tim Melville Gallery in Auckland and his giant wall work 'Untitled (D21.281 Galari Bargan)' is showing at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery until December 31. The work is inspired by the colonial exchange of artefacts between Otago Museum and the Australian Museum in Sydney. Included in the traded collection was a Galari (Wiradjuri) bargan (boomerang) from the Lachlan River, one of the three rivers that are central to Wiradjuri identity. Today the boomerang is identified in the Otago Museum collection by its registration number, D21.281.