Tony Albert’s 2022 solo exhibition at Sullivan+Strumpf, Remark, continues the artist’s investigation into the imagery and identification of appropriated Indigenous Australian iconography in domestic decoration and design. Incorporating fabric from his extensive collection of ‘Aboriginalia’, Remark sees Albert expand on his acclaimed Conversations with Margaret Preston series dimensionality, critically engaging with the fabric in his own right. Like the fabric of Australian society, the appropriated Indigenous imagery printed on souvenir tea towels intertwines in a complicated web of national identity. These are not images by Aboriginal people and our voices and autonomy continued to be silenced through the object’s inauthenticity. As a country we must reconcile with these objects’ very existence. They are painful reiterations of a violent and oppressive history, but we also cannot hide or destroy them because they are an important societal record that should not be forgotten. As an artist this juxtaposition and tension fascinates me. Tony Albert’s multidisciplinary practice investigates contemporary legacies of colonialism, prompting audiences to contemplate the human condition. Drawing on both personal and collective histories, Albert explores the ways in which optimism can be utilised to overcome adversity. His work poses important questions such as how do we remember, give justice to, and rewrite complex and traumatic histories. Albert’s technique and imagery are distinctly contemporary, displacing traditional Australian Aboriginal aesthetics with an urban conceptuality. Appropriating textual references from sources as diverse as popular music, film, fiction, and art history, Albert plays with the tension arising from the visibility, and in-turn, the invisibility of Aboriginal People across the news media, literature, and the visual world. australian first nations art, colonialisation

Tony Albert’s 2022 solo exhibition at Sullivan+Strumpf, Remark, continues the artist’s investigation into the imagery and identification of appropriated Indigenous Australian iconography in domestic decoration and design. Incorporating fabric from his extensive collection of ‘Aboriginalia’, Remark sees Albert expand on his acclaimed Conversations with Margaret Preston series dimensionality, critically engaging with the fabric in his own right. Like the fabric of Australian society, the appropriated Indigenous imagery printed on souvenir tea towels intertwines in a complicated web of national identity. These are not images by Aboriginal people and our voices and autonomy continued to be silenced through the object’s inauthenticity. As a country we must reconcile with these objects’ very existence. They are painful reiterations of a violent and oppressive history, but we also cannot hide or destroy them because they are an important societal record that should not be forgotten. As an artist this juxtaposition and tension fascinates me. Tony Albert’s multidisciplinary practice investigates contemporary legacies of colonialism, prompting audiences to contemplate the human condition. Drawing on both personal and collective histories, Albert explores the ways in which optimism can be utilised to overcome adversity. His work poses important questions such as how do we remember, give justice to, and rewrite complex and traumatic histories. Albert’s technique and imagery are distinctly contemporary, displacing traditional Australian Aboriginal aesthetics with an urban conceptuality. Appropriating textual references from sources as diverse as popular music, film, fiction, and art history, Albert plays with the tension arising from the visibility, and in-turn, the invisibility of Aboriginal People across the news media, literature, and the visual world. australian first nations art, colonialisation

Viola Annie McVicars (1911–1990) was born in Korumburra on 29 April 1911. At the age of 21, she married William John Ayling (1909–1995). After their marriage in 1932, they moved to Kew, initially to 81 Tennyson Street, and later to 180 Pakington Street. A professional tailoress, Viola Ayling was also a talented amateur potter, creating her ceramics at her home in Pakington Street, where she had an internal studio and a handmade, wood-fired brick kiln in her backyard. Following her death in 1990, her studio pottery passed to her daughter, and following the daughter’s death, to her granddaughter. This piece of glazed earthenware is part of a collection of 15 functional and decorative ceramic items donated by Viola’s granddaughter to the collection in 2024.A pair of handmade bookends, expertly potted and glazed. The style is representative of Australian ceramic design of the period, particularly that employed by Klytie Pate.Pair of hand moulded abstract ceramic wall sculptures with holes and marks of the original wires on the reverse. The front and back are glazed while the interior has been left unglazed. The free-form shapes resemble waves which were initially covered with a white glaze which was then overgrazed in a semi-transparent turquoise glaze. Both pieces are signed by the artist on the reverse.Signature to bases: "V. Ayling"ceramics, pakington street -- kew (vic.), viola annie mcvicars, viola annie ayling, ceramic sculptures

Viola Annie McVicars (1911–1990) was born in Korumburra on 29 April 1911. At the age of 21, she married William John Ayling (1909–1995). After their marriage in 1932, they moved to Kew, initially to 81 Tennyson Street, and later to 180 Pakington Street. A professional tailoress, Viola Ayling was also a talented amateur potter, creating her ceramics at her home in Pakington Street, where she had an internal studio and a handmade, wood-fired brick kiln in her backyard. Following her death in 1990, her studio pottery passed to her daughter, and following the daughter’s death, to her granddaughter. This piece of glazed earthenware is part of a collection of 15 functional and decorative ceramic items donated by Viola’s granddaughter to the collection in 2024.A handmade vase, expertly potted and glazed. The style is representative of Australian ceramic design of the period, particularly that employed by Klytie Pate.Wheel-thrown, globular earthenware vase with a fluted neck, The vase has three glazes, its exterior glaze is a mottled greenish black which has dripped onto the foot rim. Internally it is glazed in cream, while the four petalled flowers encased in buds that form the exterior decoration are highlighted in pink, as is the interior of the rim. The base is signed with the artist's signature.Signature to bases: "V. Ayling"ceramics, pakington street -- kew (vic.), vase, viola annie mcvicars, viola annie ayling

Viola Annie McVicars (1911–1990) was born in Korumburra on 29 April 1911. At the age of 21, she married William John Ayling (1909–1995). After their marriage in 1932, they moved to Kew, initially to 81 Tennyson Street, and later to 180 Pakington Street. A professional tailoress, Viola Ayling was also a talented amateur potter, creating her ceramics at her home in Pakington Street, where she had an internal studio and a handmade, wood-fired brick kiln in her backyard. Following her death in 1990, her studio pottery passed to her daughter, and following the daughter’s death, to her granddaughter. This piece of glazed earthenware is part of a collection of 15 functional and decorative ceramic items donated by Viola’s granddaughter to the collection in 2024.A handmade ewer, expertly potted and glazed. The style is representative of Australian ceramic design of the period, particularly that employed by Klytie Pate.A handmade eathernware lidded ewer, the exterior fully covered in an olive green glaze, while the interior is glazed in cream The lower section of the body, the spout and the lid reveal the coil work construction technique used, whereas the upper body is smoothed.Signature to base: "V. Ayling"ceramics, pakington street -- kew (vic.), ewers, pouring vessels, viola annie mcvicars, viola annie ayling

Viola Annie McVicars (1911–1990) was born in Korumburra on 29 April 1911. At the age of 21, she married William John Ayling (1909–1995). After their marriage in 1932, they moved to Kew, initially to 81 Tennyson Street, and later to 180 Pakington Street. A professional tailoress, Viola Ayling was also a talented amateur potter, creating her ceramics at her home in Pakington Street, where she had an internal studio and a handmade, wood-fired brick kiln in her backyard. Following her death in 1990, her studio pottery passed to her daughter, and following the daughter’s death, to her granddaughter. This piece of glazed earthenware is part of a collection of 15 functional and decorative ceramic items donated by Viola’s granddaughter to the collection in 2024.A handmade vase, expertly potted and glazed. The style is representative of Australian ceramic design of the period, particularly that employed by Klytie Pate.Freeform, heavily-potted earthenware vase, initially covered with a semi-transparent maroon glaze with a secondary green glaze applied over the top and allowed to drip over parts of the ground colour. The interior and foot of the vase are glazed in cream. The artist has signed her name to the base.Signature to bases: "V. Ayling"ceramics, pakington street -- kew (vic.), vase, viola annie ayling, viola annie mcvicars

Viola Annie McVicars (1911–1990) was born in Korumburra on 29 April 1911. At the age of 21, she married William John Ayling (1909–1995). After their marriage in 1932, they moved to Kew, initially to 81 Tennyson Street, and later to 180 Pakington Street. A professional tailoress, Viola Ayling was also a talented amateur potter, creating her ceramics at her home in Pakington Street, where she had an internal studio and a handmade, wood-fired brick kiln in her backyard. Following her death in 1990, her studio pottery passed to her daughter, and following the daughter’s death, to her granddaughter. This piece of glazed earthenware is part of a collection of 15 functional and decorative ceramic items donated by Viola’s granddaughter to the collection in 2024.A handmade ceramic container, expertly potted and glazed in a style that is representative of Australian ceramic design of the period.Wheel-thrown ceramic container, the interior and exterior fully glazed. Three glazes have ben used to decorate the object. The exterior had an initial glaze in chocolate brown with a second glaze of orange. The interior and the base are glazed in a pale cream colour. The artist's signature is on the base. Signature to base: "V. Ayling"ceramics, containers, pakington street -- kew (vic.), viola annie mcvicars, viola annie ayling

In 1964, Robin and Patricia Boyd spent several weeks on a world tour - Boyd took a leading role at the International Design Conference in Aspen and he also visited Chicago, Yale University, and New York’s World Fair. The Boyds then travelled on to England, Finland (especially to see Tapiola), Russia and India to see Le Corbusier's Chandigarh, and also Hong Kong and Thailand.Colour slide in a mount. View of the rooftop restaurant Savoy (1937), Helsinki, Finland. The restaurant's interiors were designed by Aino and Alvar Aalto.Made in Australia / 27 / AUG 64Mfinland, slide

Peter Minko is a ceramic artist based in Bendigo, Victoria. His hand-thrown works using a fine porcelain body are usually a combination of burnished and bisque-fired ith hand-painted metallic oxides and sometimes fired a third time to apply gold or platinum to the design. He began potting in 1977 and has built a strong reputation as a porcelain artist, with work being commissioned by the Federal Government for official presentations and his designs being used by Australian Fine China for a range of dinnerware. Hand thrown, round body, footed and lidded vessel. Decorated directly onto the burnished porcelain surface. Checked gold and cream under pattern overlaid with a combination of decals and hand painted gum leaf and pink blossom design. Interior glazed with tenmoku glaze. Minko / (signature) / Bendigo / Australia / 2000

Peter Minko is a ceramic artist based in Bendigo, Victoria. His hand-thrown works using a fine porcelain body are usually a combination of burnished and bisque-fired ith hand-painted metallic oxides and sometimes fired a third time to apply gold or platinum to the design. He began potting in 1977 and has built a strong reputation as a porcelain artist, with work being commissioned by the Federal Government for official presentations and his designs being used by Australian Fine China for a range of dinnerware. Hand thrown, burnished porcelain vase. Amphora shape with lip and thin neck. Heavily decorated with checked gold and cream under pattern overlaid with a combination of decals and hand painted gum leaf and pink blossom design. Interior glazed with tenmoku glaze. Minko / (signature) / Bendigo / Australia / 2000

Peter Minko is a ceramic artist based in Bendigo, Victoria. His hand-thrown works using a fine porcelain body are usually a combination of burnished and bisque-fired ith hand-painted metallic oxides and sometimes fired a third time to apply gold or platinum to the design. He began potting in 1977 and has built a strong reputation as a porcelain artist, with work being commissioned by the Federal Government for official presentations and his designs being used by Australian Fine China for a range of dinnerware. Hand thrown, burnished, porcelain vase. Amphora shape with swirling design which flows around the body of the vase from base to top. Short necks with wide shoulder and rounded body with foot. Decoration is a combination of decals and hand painted elements. Heavily gilded. Interior glazed with tenmoku.Minko / (signature) / Bendigo / Australia / 2001

The Town Hall Cafe was opened by A.J. Lucas in 1894 in Swanston Street on the Capitol Theatre site. Lucas later opened the exclusive Paris Cafe on Collins Street (1904) and the famous Cafe Australia (1916) which was designed by Walter Burleigh Griffin. He became a highly successful businessman and was the founding president of the Ithacan Philanthropic Society. A.J. Lucas who was born in the village of Exoghi migrated to Australia from Ithaca in 1886.In 1920 Lucas formed a joint venture to redevelop the site of the Town Hall Cafe into Capitol House and Capitol Theatre. Lucas once again commissioned Walter Burley Griffin and wife Marion Mahony Griffin as architects for the project. The Chicago-Gothic-style theatre is considered their greatest interior design work. The Capitol was the first extravagant ‘picture palace’ to be built in Victoria. It originally seated over 2137 people. Renowned Australian architect Robyn Boyd described The Capitol as "The best cinema that was ever built or ever likely to be built.” Information about the refurbished Capitol http://thecapitol.tv/about/A sepia photograph of the exterior of a three storey Victorian style building including veranda. It was a cafe owned by A.J. Lucas. The words 'Lucas Town Hall Cafe' are formed in raised lettering across the top storey of the building. Two cars are parked in front of the building. town hall cafe, cafes, a.j. lucas, capitol theatre

This rug was a gift and gesture of friendship from the local Muslim community to the City of Greater Bendigo. It was presented to Mayor, Cr Rod Fyffe on behalf of the people of Bendigo at a 2016 'Thank You Bendigo' dinner. In 2014 approval for a planning application from the Bendigo Islamic Association to build a community centre and mosque in East Bendigo prompted a series of public protests that captured widespread media attention. During this tumultuous period the Council identified the need for a community-wide plan to promote diversity and help address potentially divisive cultural issues. These events led to the COGB becoming the first local government area (LGA) formally accredited under Australia’s Welcoming Cities Standard. Community leaders emerged who wanted to show that the anti-mosque protesters did not reflect the views of the majority of Bendigo residents. The community lead ‘Believe in Bendigo’ movement gained momentum, and the Council and other local organisations joined forces to present a unified message that Bendigo residents do not tolerate racism. Muslims have made Central Victoria their home since the Goldrush, contributing to the community and the economy for the past 120 years. Traditional Islamic rugs, especially their patterns and motifs are intrinsically linked with the design of the Bendigo Mosque and Bendigo Islamic Community Centre providing important points of reference for the architects of the project. Typically, mosques are linked with specific cultural groups but not in the case of Bendigo where the Muslim community is made up of multi-ethnic groups. This meant the building's design was not fixed to a specific style or cultural iconography but instead needed to encompass many. The small local Muslim community selected a specific Australian architect because of their interest and knowledge of Islamic design and iconography gained through family collection of Islamic textiles. In thinking about the design of the mosque and community centre the architects wanted to acknowledge the role of Afghans in Australian history, especially tribal Afghans who helped build connections across the interior of Australia between First Nations communities, European settlers and Central Asian migrants. The gift of this Turkmen rugto the Bendigo community thus symbolises collaborative partnerships across faith and cultural groups based on friendship and mutual benefit. A Turkman rug was specifically chosen as it is the pinnacle of nomadic arts of the Islamic world. It was also important to the architects and the local Muslim community that the gift was a female artistic product as it was mainly a female Muslim architecture team that designed the mosque in Bendigo and there was a desire to select something that celebrated female artistry. This hand-woven rug is an engsi, made for a woman in preparation for marriage. Design work and weaving is a shared experience, between many generations of women and each rug hold the personal story of the woman it is made for and her family and thus holds deep symbolic meaning. There are often songs and poetry that are recited as the rug is made – helping the makers to memorisze the mathematical structure of the design. An engsi is put on the doorway to a yurt as part of a wedding ceremony. During the ceremony the groom turns the engsii upside down to check the quality of the rug makers weaving skills. The nomadic lifestyle of Yomut Turkman tribes determines the size of the rug as the loom can’t be carried. Its size is also restricted by the dimensions of the doorway of the yurt. This rug is dated as c 1880 because of the types of patterns used, the use of natural dyes (synthetic dyes were introduced to the area in 1890s) and with the smoother weaving on the back indicating the quality of craftsmanship dating to this time period. The Yomut engsi rug was made in Turkmenistan c1880 by Yomut Turkmen Tribes people and is designed to fit over the doorway of a yurt during a wedding ceremony. The main field motif is related to Turkoman jewelery design. The women and girls of the tribe spin the wool and design and weave the rugs. The men shear the sheep, dye the wool and clip the rug after it has been woven. The word “Turkoman” is thought to have been derived from Turk-iman, meaning the first nomadic Turkic tribes that began to follow Islam. Dyes used are natural including orange from madder root. bendigo mosque, bendigo islamic association, city of greater bendigo community partnerships, city of greater bendigo community groups