Rain Stones
Rosella Namok & Michael Eather Rain Stones 2021 acrylic on canvas 180x180cm FW20560
ARTIST BIO
ROSELLA NAMOK
Born: 1979 Lockhart River QLD
Region: Eastern Cape York Peninsula
Language: Aangkum (Ungkum)
Lives and works: Cairns, QLDRosella Namok first appeared on the contemporary art scene in the late 1990s as a prominent member of the renowned Lockhart River ‘Art Gang’. Growing up she experienced traditional life - such as camping, fishing, gathering berries - within and around Lockhart River, Claudie River, Quintell Beach, Chilli Beach and the Iron Range (Kutini-Payamu) National Park.
With an extensive history exhibiting nationally and Internationally, Rosella has been living and working in Cairns as well as more recently completed major commissions in Brisbane studios. Her paintings continue to reflect both traditional stories and contemporary themes across cultural and social concerns with candid observations about changing lifestyles and the environment. Through a technique developed by watching her grandmother drawing in the sand, Rosella often creates patterned, linear arrangements by pulling her fingers through the layers of paint.
Rosella Namok has been collected by all major State and National Galleries including The High Court of Australia in Canberra.
MICHAEL EATHER
Born: 1963 Launceston, TAS
Education: 1980-83 Bachelor of Fine Arts (Sculpture Major) Visual Arts Teaching Tasmanian School of Art/University of Tasmania
Lives and Works: Brisbane, QLD
Born and educated in Tasmania Michael lived and travelled in the Northern Territory before settling in Brisbane. Since 1985 he has continued to work as a multi-disciplinary artist as well as a gallerist, project curator and consultant with extensive experiences across contemporary Indigenous art forms and issues. In 1990 he co-founded Campfire Group Projects aligned with collaboration and cross-cultural initiatives. He is Director of FireWorks Gallery, a commercial enterprise established in 1993. In 2019 he established Ghost Ship Studio in Newstead where he continues to make sculpture and painting including collaborative artworks. Michael has had 25 solo exhibitions and been involved in over 50 group exhibitions nationally and internationally.STORY
Across many Aboriginal cultures moiety systems, referring to the two equally balanced social and ritual groupings, are used to organise social structures and kin relationships, thus dictating marriage customs and the appropriate family entitlements and the responsibilities that come with this. For Ungkum people (Rosella’s clan) these are Kaapay and Kuyan. Where these customs were once strongly ingrained, they no longer hold the same importance for some younger community members. Back home, we've got really strong culture from the old people. There are about six tribal lands back at home, like different clan groups. So you can't marry your own, you have to marry someone from a different tribal clan otherwise the old people, they get really upset and it's not how they grew up. But now most of the old people have passed on, and it's all a bit of a mix up now, so it's not really good. The young people are making the old people, the ones that are left, really shame - they get upset about it. Kaapay and Kuyan, have to be together, you have to be different... Has to be from a different clan. Through her choice of colour and composition Rosella explores the broader, universal dualities of life; the macro (lore & culture) and the micro (family & self), the traditional and the modern and even the land and sea. Since 2019 Rosella has been working with a Brisbane team to translate these stories into sculptural forms. This began with smaller ‘table sculpture’ prototypes and has grown to include a range of Selfie sculptures constructed with PVC & 2 pac colours as well as a major bronze floor work, Kaapay & Kuyan.INSTALLATION INFO
Artwork will be delivered and installed in your space. When your rental period is complete your artwork will be collected and returned to HireWorks at FireWorks.