First Nations artist Chloe Jones has revealed one of her pieces included in the series, titled Family Lines.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
Kaiela Arts plans to turn heads at one of the nation’s most prestigious Indigenous art events.
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During the Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair, from August 7 to 10, the gallery will unveil a striking new collection of limited-edition silkscreen artworks.
Produced in partnership with renowned Melbourne print studio Spacecraft, the collection showcases work by three First Nations artists: Chloe Jones (Yorta Yorta), Tarn Parker (Wiradjuri) and Georgina Post (Wiradjuri).
As the calendar tiptoes towards August 7, Ms Jones has revealed one of her pieces included in the series, titled Family Lines.
“It’s depicting my lived experience, and I wanted to honour my family on a national level,” she said.
“I’m always talking about the relational and the colonial, which a lot of us mob — especially us young mob — find ourselves living in the middle of.
“Since my existence, I’ve been balancing both worlds — it’s just the way it is.”
In a fearless composition of black and white, Ms Jones blends the traditional X-ray and linear style of her culture with the contemporary.
The result is an intentional challenge of common assumptions about what Aboriginal art looks like.
“A lot of people have no idea that we don’t do dots; we’re lines, and we’re X-rays and that’s our tradition,” she said.
“On a stage like Darwin Art Fair, it’s really, really important to push more of that representation.”
In black and white, Chloe Jones blends the traditional X-ray style of her culture with the contemporary.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
With Spacecraft’s support, artists at Kaiela Arts have established their own screen-printing facilities, allowing them to continue producing high-quality work independently.
“We’re always harping on about self-determination — this project is working towards that,” Ms Jones said.
“We’ve got great allies like Spacecraft within our sector ... and a lot of opportunities for our staff and artists to get trained up.
“There are so many things that we offer here: ceramics, screen printing, weaving, painting, the list goes on.”
That list now includes another creative avenue: apparel.
Kaiela Arts has revealed a first-time fashion collaboration with Gammin Threads, founded by Yorta Yorta and Taungurung designer Tahnee Edwards.
The limited-edition T-shirt features a robust design by Kaiela Arts artist Ally Knight of Mulana Earth, depicting the Bayadherra (long-neck turtle), which is a totem of the Yorta Yorta people.
Reflecting on both artistic endeavours, Ms Jones said the gallery and its artists were in an exciting position, having made significant strides in representation.
However, there is still much more progress to be made.
“It’s time that we acknowledge that our culture is not stagnant, it’s a living culture and evolving,” she said.
“We’re trying to encourage people to get excited about younger and emerging artists and our work because our stories matter too.
“I’m very grateful as a young person to be a part of this.”
The collection will be available at kaielaarts.org.au and in-store at Kaiela Arts, 530 Wyndham St, Shepparton.
