non-fictionA collection of essays on Indigenous art in mainstream Australia by international Indigenous and non-Indigenous academics, arts administrators and practising artists. fiona foley, fiona nicoll, regina ganter, ole maiava, louise martin-chew, anna haebich, franca tamisari, aboriginal art, indigenous architecture

Publication accompanying the project, The f Word: Contemporary feminist art in Australia. Curated by Caroline Phillips, this project included multiple components: A Dinner Party: Setting the table; the Regional Feminist Art Forum, the Technopia Tours Feminist Art Bus, and two exhibitions.feminism, feminist art, melbourne, the dinner party, australia, judy chicago, west space, latrobe visual art institute, bendigo, gippsland art gallery, sale, victoria, ararat regional art gallery, ararat, technopia tours, kim donaldson, catherine bell, penny byrne, filomena coppola, kate just, jill orr, clare rae, elvis richardson, kate beynon, karen buczynski-lee, destiny deacon, laurene dietrich, eliza-jane gilchrist, janice gobey, georgia macguire, robyn massey, caroline phillips, louise saxton, inez de vega, lyndal walker, justine makdessi, the great petition, natalie thomas, laura castagnini, lyndal jones, vicki kinai, dot ket, virginia fraser, juliette peers, louise burchill, carolyn barnes, melbourne social equity institute, ebony gulliver, kalinda vary, kate robertson, stephanie alexander, kate macneill, victoria duckett, hana assafiri, victoria bennett, anne marsh, catherine deveny, danni zuvela, jon dale, marcia jane, catherine evans

The Guirguis New Art Prize (GNAP) is a biennial national acquisitive $20,000 contemporary art prize. It is for Australia's contemporary artists with works that explore new ways of artistic expression, utilising existing mediums as well as new technologies. It was initiated and supported by local Ballarat surgeon Mr Mark Guirguis. The art prize is administered by the Federation University Australia (FedUni) and displayed at the Post Office Gallery in Ballarat. The prize was managed and curated by Shelley Hinton. .1) Large purple promotional banner made of maroon synthetic fabric printed with white lettering, hemmed on the long sides and 8 cm wide pockets on the ends. .2) Feather Flag in maroon shiny synthetic fabric printed with white lettering, hemmed and with a black 6.5 cm elastic pocket around the long side.Printed with GNAP, Guirguis New Art Prize and the date 11 April - 31 May 2015guirguis new art prize, mr mark guirguis, federation university australia, post office gallery exhibition, contemporary art, contemporary art prize, mark guirguis, shelley hinton, herbert werner frederick de nully

Booknon-fictionCatalogue accompanying exhibition at National Gallery of Australia in 2001 with two essays interweaving Hester's life and art, 1920-1960.contemporary art society, angry penguins, painting, watercolour, gouache

Michael Gromm completed a Bachelor of Arts (Fine Arts) at the University of Ballarat (now Federation University) in 2002. He has been a finalist in the Scope Galleries Art Prize (2012); The Metro Gallery Art Prize (2010); The Fletcher Jones Contemporary Art Prize (2008), and was announced the winner of the David Pratt Drawing Award in 2001. This item is part of the Federation University Art Collection. The Art Collection features over 2000 works and was listed as a 'Ballarat Treasure' in 2007.art, artwork, michael gromm, seascape, alumni, oil on canvas, oil, david pratt drawing award, fletcher jones contemporary art prize, metro gallery art prize, scope galleries art prize

Nawurapu Wunungmurra is the eldest son of the late Yaggarriny Wunungmurra, the first Aboriginal artist to have his copyright recognised in an Australian court. From an early age he was trained by his father and assisted him with this painting. Later, as his own spiritual authority increased, he painted in his own right. This pole depicts the sea at Garraparra, a coastal headland and bay area within Mungurru, or Blue Mud Bay. Garraparra has been rendered by the wavy design for Yirritja (deep saltwater) that has many states and connects with the sacred waters coming from the land estates by currents and tidal flow. Garraparra marks the spot of a sacred burial area for the Dhalwangu clan to which Wunungmurra belongs. Sacred songs and dance narrate the heroic adventures of two ancestral hunters who left the shores of Garraparra hunting for turtle. On their journey they passed sacred places and ancestral totems before they came to grief when their canoe capsized. The hunters’ bodies washed back to the shores of Garraparra with the currents and the tides, as the Wangupini, cloud rising from the north, followed with its rain and wind. In the songs, the terns (Gitkit) reel in the breeze around these statuesque clouds on the horizon, and this stylised rendition of clouds seen at the top of this work is the latest motif in Wunungmurra’s ouvre.Ceremonial hollow log poles Arnhem Land, Northern Territory The people of Central and Eastern Arnhem Land refer to themselves collectively as Yolngu, meaning human beings. The Yolngu traditionally use logs naturally hollowed out by termites in a funerary and ceremonial functions, principally as an ossuary. In an Australian contemporary art context however hollow log sculptures are purely memorial in function and made explicitly for public display. In Arnhem Land hollow logs are known as larrakitj; hollow logs known by other names are used in burial practices by a number of Aboriginal peoples in the north of Australia. The logs can also represent the deceased person, as the designs applied are the same as those painted on the body during the burial rites. All Yolngu clans belong to a moiety, one of two complementary halves of society: Dhuwa and Yirritja. All such affiliations play a part in Aboriginal artists' inherited right to paint an established set of designs belonging to their social group; this inheritance is, in fact, the artist's copyright over imagery.stonnington contemporary art collection, first peoples, first nations, indigenous, aboriginal torres strait islander, painting, nawurapu wunungmurra, garraparra, coastal, yirritja, saltwater, sacred burial, cultural heritage, cultural identity

Gunybi Ganambarr has built a reputation for his innovative techniques, incising and shaping barks and adding materials to traditional art forms. He attributes his confidence in using new materials to his twelve year stint as a part of a building team in remote homelands. Ganambarr primarily lives in his mother’s community at Gangan, which lies north-west of Blue Mud Bay in eastern Arnhem Land, Northern Territory. Ganambarr has absorbed the minutiae and spirituality of place; his paintings can be read as meditations on the specific tracts of land for which he is entitled to speak; in this case, a sacred expanse of water behind the Gangan outstation where this work was produced, referred to as Gulutji. Ganambarr’s designs recount the ancestral formation of the land, the beings that reside within its borders and
the seasonal events that nourish its ecosystem. His work exemplifies the confidence and cultural assertion of a new, experimental Yolngu art, while remaining firmly influenced by elders and senior artists. Ceremonial hollow log poles Arnhem Land, Northern Territory The people of Central and Eastern Arnhem Land refer to themselves collectively as Yolngu, meaning human beings. The Yolngu traditionally use logs naturally hollowed out by termites in a funerary and ceremonial functions, principally as an ossuary. In an Australian contemporary art context however hollow log sculptures are purely memorial in function and made explicitly for public display. In Arnhem Land hollow logs are known as larrakitj; hollow logs known by other names are used in burial practices by a number of Aboriginal peoples in the north of Australia. The logs can also represent the deceased person, as the designs applied are the same as those painted on the body during the burial rites. All Yolngu clans belong to a moiety, one of two complementary halves of society: Dhuwa and Yirritja. All such affiliations play a part in Aboriginal artists' inherited right to paint an established set of designs belonging to their social group; this inheritance is, in fact, the artist's copyright over imagery. stonnington contemporary art collection, first peoples, first nations, indigenous, aboriginal torres strait islander, painting, gunybi ganambarr, natural environment, cultural heritage, cultural identity, cultural knowledge, landscape

Malaluba Gumana dedicates most of her artworks to portraying her mother Marratj Gurruwiwi’s Gälpu clan designs of dhatam (waterlilly), djari (rainbow), djaykun (filesnake) and wititj (olive python or rainbow serpent). Gumana demonstrates a very fine ‘marwat’, a cross hatching technique that utilises a fine brush of human hair, applied to bark and memorial poles. The title 'Garrimala' refers to a billabong close to Malaluba’s homeland of Gängan. Dominating this work are realistic representations of dhatam, the waterlily plant. The Gälpu clan miny’tji – the sacred clan design behind the lillies – represents djari (rainbows) and the power of the lightning within them. It also refers to the force of the storm created by the python Wititj, living amongst the waterlilies causing ripples and rainbows on the surface of the water. The dynamic diagonal lines symbolise trees that have been knocked down as Wititj moves from place to place. Ceremonial hollow log poles Arnhem Land, Northern Territory The people of Central and Eastern Arnhem Land refer to themselves collectively as Yolngu, meaning human beings. The Yolngu traditionally use logs naturally hollowed out by termites in a funerary and ceremonial functions, principally as an ossuary. In an Australian contemporary art context however hollow log sculptures are purely memorial in function and made explicitly for public display. In Arnhem Land hollow logs are known as larrakitj; hollow logs known by other names are used in burial practices by a number of Aboriginal peoples in the north of Australia. The logs can also represent the deceased person, as the designs applied are the same as those painted on the body during the burial rites. All Yolngu clans belong to a moiety, one of two complementary halves of society: Dhuwa and Yirritja. All such affiliations play a part in Aboriginal artists' inherited right to paint an established set of designs belonging to their social group; this inheritance is, in fact, the artist's copyright over imagery. stonnington contemporary art collection, first peoples, first nations, indigenous, aboriginal torres strait islander, painting, malaluba gumana, waterlily, rainbow, filesnake, olive python, rainbow serpent, natural environment, cultural heritage

Booknon-fictionWritten by two muralists and a sociologists the book documents the community based mural movement in the late 60s and early 70s in Canada and the USA.political art, revolutionary art, community arts, large scale works

art, women artists, sculpture, contemporary art, exhibition, women’s art register, textiles, julia boros, katve-kaisa kontturi, anna sandy, bonita ely, richmond, australian artistsart, women artists, sculpture, contemporary art, exhibition, women’s art register, textiles, julia boros, katve-kaisa kontturi, anna sandy, bonita ely, richmond, australian artists

non-fictionA history of the authors life as an artist, teacher, and political activist in Australia.trade unions, social realism, communist party of australia, peace art, australia council, community arts, art and working life, international co-operation art award, cpa, political cartoons, cabramatta and districts art society, noel counihan, contemporary art society of victoria

Having refined his technique of painting on the reverse side of glass, David Jolly has achieved critical acclaim as an articulate drawer and painter. His work ruminates on the role of the artist as witness and reporter. He pairs rich colour and extraordinary detail with the glossy seductiveness of the glass surface. It presents a compelling encounter between the luminous dimensionality of glass and the textureless, mirror-like surfaces of screen culture. The series Artist’s Proof #1 illustrates before and after scenes of the Formula 1 Grand Prix at Albert Park Lake. Characteristic of Jolly, the works focus not on the spectacle of the race but the casual imagery of its inconsequential incidents, scenes and moments. Props III and Lakehouse exemplify of this approach. While able to be read as singularly abstract compositions, Meatball and Surface are in fact transcriptions of motor racing flags that signal hazards or the need for an immediate pit-stop.Against a big clouded blue sky and a backdrop of trees and a field (perhaps a sports field), the foreground shows stacks of tyres, metal poles, tall metal barricades, square storage bins and pipes. Titled, signed and dated by the artist: top left, back, in blue ink.stonnington contemporary art collection, painting, david jolly, albert park lake, formula 1, grand prix, motor racing

Having refined his technique of painting on the reverse side of glass, David Jolly has achieved critical acclaim as an articulate drawer and painter. His work ruminates on the role of the artist as witness and reporter. He pairs rich colour and extraordinary detail with the glossy seductiveness of the glass surface. It presents a compelling encounter between the luminous dimensionality of glass and the textureless, mirror-like surfaces of screen culture. The series Artist’s Proof #1 illustrates before and after scenes of the Formula 1 Grand Prix at Albert Park Lake. Characteristic of Jolly, the works focus not on the spectacle of the race but the casual imagery of its inconsequential incidents, scenes and moments. Props III and Lakehouse exemplify of this approach. While able to be read as singularly abstract compositions, Meatball and Surface are in fact transcriptions of motor racing flags that signal hazards or the need for an immediate pit-stop. stonnington contemporary art collection, painting, david jolly, albert park lake, formula 1, grand prix, motor racing

Having refined his technique of painting on the reverse side of glass, David Jolly has achieved critical acclaim as an articulate drawer and painter. His work ruminates on the role of the artist as witness and reporter. He pairs rich colour and extraordinary detail with the glossy seductiveness of the glass surface. It presents a compelling encounter between the luminous dimensionality of glass and the textureless, mirror-like surfaces of screen culture. The series Artist’s Proof #1 illustrates before and after scenes of the Formula 1 Grand Prix at Albert Park Lake. Characteristic of Jolly, the works focus not on the spectacle of the race but the casual imagery of its inconsequential incidents, scenes and moments. Props III and Lakehouse exemplify of this approach. While able to be read as singularly abstract compositions, Meatball and Surface are in fact transcriptions of motor racing flags that signal hazards or the need for an immediate pit-stop.stonnington contemporary art collection, painting, david jolly, albert park lake, formula 1, grand prix, motor racing

Having refined his technique of painting on the reverse side of glass, David Jolly has achieved critical acclaim as an articulate drawer and painter. His work ruminates on the role of the artist as witness and reporter. He pairs rich colour and extraordinary detail with the glossy seductiveness of the glass surface. It presents a compelling encounter between the luminous dimensionality of glass and the textureless, mirror-like surfaces of screen culture. The series Artist’s Proof #1 illustrates before and after scenes of the Formula 1 Grand Prix at Albert Park Lake. Characteristic of Jolly, the works focus not on the spectacle of the race but the casual imagery of its inconsequential incidents, scenes and moments. Props III and Lakehouse exemplify of this approach. While able to be read as singularly abstract compositions, Meatball and Surface are in fact transcriptions of motor racing flags that signal hazards or the need for an immediate pit-stop.stonnington contemporary art collection, painting, david jolly, albert park lake, formula 1, grand prix, motor racing

Maree Clarke is a multi-disciplinary artist from Mildura in northwest Victoria, living and working in Melbourne. Her continuing desire to affirm and reconnect with her cultural heritage makes her a pivotal figure in the reclamation of southeast Australian Aboriginal art practices, reviving elements of Aboriginal culture that were lost over the period of colonisation. The 'Men and Women in Mourning' series explores the traditional ceremonies of grief and mourning practices from Calrke's Country. It originates from her fascination with Kopi, a gypsum cap worn to express an individual’s mourning of a loved one or significant member of the clan. A Kopi can weigh up to 7kg and the length of time they are worn depends on the person’s closeness to the deceased. When the mourning period was over the Kopi would be placed on the person’s grave.stonnington contemporary art collection, first peoples, first nations, indigenous, aboriginal torres strait islander, mourning ceremony, maree clarke, cultural heritage

Maree Clarke is a multi-disciplinary artist from Mildura in northwest Victoria, living and working in Melbourne. Her continuing desire to affirm and reconnect with her cultural heritage makes her a pivotal figure in the reclamation of southeast Australian Aboriginal art practices, reviving elements of Aboriginal culture that were lost over the period of colonisation. The 'Men and Women in Mourning' series explores the traditional ceremonies of grief and mourning practices from Calrke's Country. It originates from her fascination with Kopi, a gypsum cap worn to express an individual’s mourning of a loved one or significant member of the clan. A Kopi can weigh up to 7kg and the length of time they are worn depends on the person’s closeness to the deceased. When the mourning period was over the Kopi would be placed on the person’s grave.stonnington contemporary art collection, first peoples, first nations, indigenous, aboriginal torres strait islander, mourning ceremony, maree clarke, cultural heritage

Maree Clarke is a multi-disciplinary artist from Mildura in northwest Victoria, living and working in Melbourne. Her continuing desire to affirm and reconnect with her cultural heritage makes her a pivotal figure in the reclamation of southeast Australian Aboriginal art practices, reviving elements of Aboriginal culture that were lost over the period of colonisation. The 'Men and Women in Mourning' series explores the traditional ceremonies of grief and mourning practices from Calrke's Country. It originates from her fascination with Kopi, a gypsum cap worn to express an individual’s mourning of a loved one or significant member of the clan. A Kopi can weigh up to 7kg and the length of time they are worn depends on the person’s closeness to the deceased. When the mourning period was over the Kopi would be placed on the person’s grave.stonnington contemporary art collection, first peoples, first nations, indigenous, aboriginal torres strait islander, mourning ceremony, maree clarke, cultural heritage

Maree Clarke is a multi-disciplinary artist from Mildura in northwest Victoria, living and working in Melbourne. Her continuing desire to affirm and reconnect with her cultural heritage makes her a pivotal figure in the reclamation of southeast Australian Aboriginal art practices, reviving elements of Aboriginal culture that were lost over the period of colonisation. The 'Men and Women in Mourning' series explores the traditional ceremonies of grief and mourning practices from Calrke's Country. It originates from her fascination with Kopi, a gypsum cap worn to express an individual’s mourning of a loved one or significant member of the clan. A Kopi can weigh up to 7kg and the length of time they are worn depends on the person’s closeness to the deceased. When the mourning period was over the Kopi would be placed on the person’s grave. stonnington contemporary art collection, first peoples, first nations, indigenous, aboriginal torres strait islander, mourning ceremony, maree clarke, cultural heritage

Daniel Boyd’s practice often investigates complex or contrasting forces, such as the primitive and the modern, this world and the next, and traditional techniques fused with contemporary methods. He completed a Bachelor of Arts at the Australian National University School of Art and in 2012 he was artist-in-residence at the Natural History Museum in London. There he reflected on the Museums collection’s historic images concerning the First Fleet’s arrival in Australia and their tendency to obscure the original identity of any indigenous subjects. It was during this residency he researched and made the Up In Smoke Tour series of work that concerns this omission and the lives of Indigenous Australians following the bleak realities of colonialism. Using archival resin glue and watercolour on photocopied images to recast and reimagine dot-paintings, Boyd masks attempts to identify the image or narrative of his works. He reinterprets Aboriginal and Australian-European history through recasting artworks and icons and altering the familiar interpretation of materials, here using Museum specimen boxes that previously contained the bones of Aboriginal people.stonnington contemporary art collection, first peoples, first nations, indigenous, aboriginal torres strait islander, cultural identity, daniel boyd, painting, assemblage

For more than a quarter of a century, Tony Clark has been working on one of Australian art's most enduring, significant yet elusive projects, Myriorama. Yet he refuses to discuss it in resolved or unambiguous terms. ''I've never known where this was going to lead,'' he says almost guiltily of the theoretically endless project, sections of which are now part of nearly every large public collection in Australia. The series is modular and interchangeable - the point at which the horizon concludes on both sides of each panel is consistent, making every panel interchangeable. It concerns same rambling, meandering, romantic landscape, ostensibly Australian, chiefly painted on compact canvas boards, and, since 2002, rendered in a restricted palette of black, light pink, light blue and raw sienna. Self-imposed constraints and tenets are not only Myriorama's defining cues but its great strength.stonnington contemporary art collection, landscape, painting, tony clark

Rob McHaffie is known for his skilful depictions of fleeting moments from everyday life, which often evoke humour, pathos and camaraderie. His drawings and paintings involve ‘collaging’ of images and ideas, juxtaposing high and low culture, and emotions. Casual Guy came from an exhibition of a body of bright, bold and quirky portraits titled 'I can still remember how to speak'. The works are light-hearted with tropical colours, transporting the viewer to an idyllic, utopian place. Influences from his travels in Malaysia and Thailand are clear in these works. McHaffie’s paintings carry a personal and diaristic element, recording the world around him. Trust, love and spirituality are key recurring themes in his works. In 2025, McHaffie was commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery to paint a portrait of gardening guru Costa Georgiadis titled 'Costa (it's not ours, it's us). stonnington contemporary art collection, painting, rob mchaffie

Christian Thompson’s work reflects on issues of identity, cultural hybridity, kinship, memory and history. In 2010 he became the Inaugural Charlie Perkins Scholar and the first Aboriginal Australian artist to be admitted to Oxford University where he completed a Doctorate of Philosophy (Fine Art) at Trinity College. Thompson uses humour and playful subterfuge to subvert and critique throughout his multidisciplinary practice including sculpture, photography, video, performance and sound. These arresting and carefully orchestrated images are of the artist dressed in stylised clothing and handmade headdresses of Australian flora. While resonating with poetic and timeless beauty, the series Australian Graffiti contrasts Australia’s fascination with native flora with ideologies that correlate Aboriginal people with flora and fauna, not humanity.stonnington contemporary art collection, first peoples, first nations, indigenous, aboriginal torres strait islander, cultural identity, photography, memory, history, kinship, christian thompson

Christian Thompson’s work reflects on issues of identity, cultural hybridity, kinship, memory and history. In 2010 he became the Inaugural Charlie Perkins Scholar and the first Aboriginal Australian artist to be admitted to Oxford University where he completed a Doctorate of Philosophy (Fine Art) at Trinity College. Thompson uses humour and playful subterfuge to subvert and critique throughout his multidisciplinary practice including sculpture, photography, video, performance and sound. These arresting and carefully orchestrated images are of the artist dressed in stylised clothing and handmade headdresses of Australian flora. While resonating with poetic and timeless beauty, the series Australian Graffiti contrasts Australia’s fascination with native flora with ideologies that correlate Aboriginal people with flora and fauna, not humanity. stonnington contemporary art collection, first peoples, first nations, indigenous, aboriginal torres strait islander, cultural identity, photography, memory, history, kinship, christian thompson

James Tylor’s practice examines racial and cultural identity in Australian contemporary society and social history. He explores Australian cultural representation through his multi-racial heritage comprising Aboriginal, English, and Maori Australian ancestry. This interest is informed using these media in that era to document Indigenous Australian and Maori culture. Tylor reminds us of what has been removed from the view of the Australian landscape, and reflects on the limitations of the romantic landscape tradition itself - the tensions between Australian and Indigenous histories.Digital print on Hahnemühle paperstonnington contemporary art collection, landscape, cultural identity, first peoples, post colonialism, first nations, indigenous, aboriginal torres strait islander, mixed media, photography, james tylor

Robert Jacks is widely acknowledged as one of Australia’s most important and accomplished abstract artists. Jacks studied sculpture at Prahran Technical College from 1958–60 and painting at RMIT in 1961–62. In 1968 his work was included in the landmark exhibition, The Field, at the National Gallery of Victoria. Jacks often worked across various mediums simultaneously producing sculpture, painting and works on paper which directly informed one another. Bookending his career, in 2014, the year he died, Jacks’ practice received renewed attention when the National Gallery of Victoria mounted the major retrospective exhibition Robert Jacks: Order and Variation, in which he played a pivotal role. This work is from the Metropolis series that drew on his experience living in Manhattan, as well as the view from his balcony in Lavender Bay, Sydney. From the balcony he could see the Sydney Harbour Bridge, with cars, buses and trains, as well as ships on the harbour and planes in the sky, all coming from different directions, reminding him of the futuristic images in Fritz Lang’s 1927 silent film of the same name. A rhythm charting the ebb and flow of activity throughout each day is discernible within the series and the long triangular forms, like arrow heads, that represent the modern freeway are a constant throughout. stonnington contemporary art collection, abstract, painting, robert jacks

Robert Jacks is widely acknowledged as one of Australia’s most important and accomplished abstract artists. Jacks studied sculpture at Prahran Technical College from 1958–60 and painting at RMIT in 1961–62. In 1968 his work was included in the landmark exhibition, The Field, at the National Gallery of Victoria. Jacks often worked across various mediums simultaneously producing sculpture, painting and works on paper which directly informed one another. Bookending his career, in 2014, the year he died, Jacks’ practice received renewed attention when the National Gallery of Victoria mounted the major retrospective exhibition Robert Jacks: Order and Variation, in which he played a pivotal role. This work is from the Metropolis series that drew on his experience living in Manhattan, as well as the view from his Lavender Bay balcony, in Sydney. From the balcony he could see the Sydney Harbour Bridge, with cars, buses and trains, as well as ships on the harbour and planes in the sky, all coming from different directions, reminding him of the futuristic images in Fritz Lang’s 1927 silent film of the same name. A rhythm charting the ebb and flow of activity throughout each day is discernible within the series and the long triangular forms, like arrow heads, that represent the modern freeway are a constant throughout. stonnington contemporary art collection, painting, robert jacks