BOOKnon-fictionDocuments every event in the volunteer-run Women's Gallery, which ran June 1988 until December 1995, in bohemian Brunswick Street Melbourne and showed 119 solo and group exhibitions, and hosted book launches, music and theatre performances, seminars and poetry readings.solo and group exhibitions, spiritual art, political art, portraiture, iwd exhibitions, collaborative prectice, collective practice

Stephen Wickham is an Australian photographer and painter who has been actively exhibiting his works since the 1980s. A long standing preoccupation with Mt Buffalo since the 1980's has seen the artist produce a number of photographic suites and exhibitions that have been likened to German Romantic iconography and associated heavily with the European migrant experience (Robert Nelson, The Age 16 June 2001). Born to Viennese parents, hiking in the mountains for Wickham represents a traditional European family pastime. This series of work is comprised of expeditionary photographs taken between 1980 and 1985. Charles Green describes Wickham's landscape photographs as sublime, transcendental, spiritual and symbolic (Art in Australia Spring 1988). Set in Victoria’s Mount Buffalo National Park, the Mount Buffalo series captures the mountain plateau during winter. Rather than focusing on a lush green landscape, Wickham presents the viewer with close-ups of the snow-covered flaura and fauna of the alpine region.Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program by Miriam Kenter in memory of Master George Willibrord Kenter

Stephen Wickham is an Australian photographer and painter who has been actively exhibiting his works since the 1980s. A long standing preoccupation with Mt Buffalo since the 1980's has seen the artist produce a number of photographic suites and exhibitions that have been likened to German Romantic iconography and associated heavily with the European migrant experience (Robert Nelson, The Age 16 June 2001). Born to Viennese parents, hiking in the mountains for Wickham represents a traditional European family pastime. This series of work is comprised of expeditionary photographs taken between 1980 and 1985. Charles Green describes Wickham's landscape photographs as sublime, transcendental, spiritual and symbolic (Art in Australia Spring 1988). Set in Victoria’s Mount Buffalo National Park, the Mount Buffalo series captures the mountain plateau during winter. Rather than focusing on a lush green landscape, Wickham presents the viewer with close-ups of the snow-covered flaura and fauna of the alpine region.Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program by Miriam Kenter in memory of Master George Willibrord Kenter

Stephen Wickham is an Australian photographer and painter who has been actively exhibiting his works since the 1980s. A long standing preoccupation with Mt Buffalo since the 1980's has seen the artist produce a number of photographic suites and exhibitions that have been likened to German Romantic iconography and associated heavily with the European migrant experience (Robert Nelson, The Age 16 June 2001). Born to Viennese parents, hiking in the mountains for Wickham represents a traditional European family pastime. This series of work is comprised of expeditionary photographs taken between 1980 and 1985. Charles Green describes Wickham's landscape photographs as sublime, transcendental, spiritual and symbolic (Art in Australia Spring 1988). Set in Victoria’s Mount Buffalo National Park, the Mount Buffalo series captures the mountain plateau during winter. Rather than focusing on a lush green landscape, Wickham presents the viewer with close-ups of the snow-covered flaura and fauna of the alpine region.Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program by Miriam Kenter in memory of Master George Willibrord Kenter

Stephen Wickham is an Australian photographer and painter who has been actively exhibiting his works since the 1980s. A long standing preoccupation with Mt Buffalo since the 1980's has seen the artist produce a number of photographic suites and exhibitions that have been likened to German Romantic iconography and associated heavily with the European migrant experience (Robert Nelson, The Age 16 June 2001). Born to Viennese parents, hiking in the mountains for Wickham represents a traditional European family pastime. This series of work is comprised of expeditionary photographs taken between 1980 and 1985. Charles Green describes Wickham's landscape photographs as sublime, transcendental, spiritual and symbolic (Art in Australia Spring 1988). Set in Victoria’s Mount Buffalo National Park, the Mount Buffalo series captures the mountain plateau during winter. Rather than focusing on a lush green landscape, Wickham presents the viewer with close-ups of the snow-covered flaura and fauna of the alpine region.Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program by Miriam Kenter in memory of Master George Willibrord Kenter

Stephen Wickham is an Australian photographer and painter who has been actively exhibiting his works since the 1980s. A long standing preoccupation with Mt Buffalo since the 1980's has seen the artist produce a number of photographic suites and exhibitions that have been likened to German Romantic iconography and associated heavily with the European migrant experience (Robert Nelson, The Age 16 June 2001). Born to Viennese parents, hiking in the mountains for Wickham represents a traditional European family pastime. This series of work is comprised of expeditionary photographs taken between 1980 and 1985. Charles Green describes Wickham's landscape photographs as sublime, transcendental, spiritual and symbolic (Art in Australia Spring 1988). Set in Victoria’s Mount Buffalo National Park, the Mount Buffalo series captures the mountain plateau during winter. Rather than focusing on a lush green landscape, Wickham presents the viewer with close-ups of the snow-covered flaura and fauna of the alpine region.Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program by Miriam Kenter in memory of Master George Willibrord Kenter

Stephen Wickham is an Australian photographer and painter who has been actively exhibiting his works since the 1980s. A long standing preoccupation with Mt Buffalo since the 1980's has seen the artist produce a number of photographic suites and exhibitions that have been likened to German Romantic iconography and associated heavily with the European migrant experience (Robert Nelson, The Age 16 June 2001). Born to Viennese parents, hiking in the mountains for Wickham represents a traditional European family pastime. This series of work is comprised of expeditionary photographs taken between 1980 and 1985. Charles Green describes Wickham's landscape photographs as sublime, transcendental, spiritual and symbolic (Art in Australia Spring 1988). Set in Victoria’s Mount Buffalo National Park, the Mount Buffalo series captures the mountain plateau during winter. Rather than focusing on a lush green landscape, Wickham presents the viewer with close-ups of the snow-covered flaura and fauna of the alpine region.Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program by Miriam Kenter in memory of Master George Willibrord Kenter

Stephen Wickham is an Australian photographer and painter who has been actively exhibiting his works since the 1980s. A long standing preoccupation with Mt Buffalo since the 1980's has seen the artist produce a number of photographic suites and exhibitions that have been likened to German Romantic iconography and associated heavily with the European migrant experience (Robert Nelson, The Age 16 June 2001). Born to Viennese parents, hiking in the mountains for Wickham represents a traditional European family pastime. This series of work is comprised of expeditionary photographs taken between 1980 and 1985. Charles Green describes Wickham's landscape photographs as sublime, transcendental, spiritual and symbolic (Art in Australia Spring 1988). Set in Victoria’s Mount Buffalo National Park, the Mount Buffalo series captures the mountain plateau during winter. Rather than focusing on a lush green landscape, Wickham presents the viewer with close-ups of the snow-covered flaura and fauna of the alpine region.Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program by Miriam Kenter in memory of Master George Willibrord Kenter

Gareth SAMSOM (19 November 1939- ) Born Melbourne Sansom describes a desire to constantly surprise and challenge himself as an artist. He had his first exhibition in 1959. His paintings of the 1960s were characterised by a distorted use of line, shape and colour and were influenced by abstract expressionism, Francis Bacon and Sidney Nolan. Over time, his work has also drawn on punk, dada, Basquiat, T.S. Eliot, urban graffiti, classical Greek philosophy and art theory across a variety of media ranging from drawing, printmaking and collage to photomontage and photography. Sansom lectured in Art at the Ballarat Teachers' college, and was appointed Head of Painting at the Victorian College of the Arts from 1977-1985, and Dean School of Art at the Victorian College of the Arts from 1986-1991. He was artist-in-residence at the University of Melbourne in 1985, which was when he resumed his full-time painting practice with a series of large works on canvas. The Federation University Art Collection features over 1000 works and was listed as a 'Ballarat Treasure' in 2007.'Looking for God in Abstract Art 2' is a play on the debate over the respective virtues of abstraction and figuration that has preoccupied artists and critics for more than a century. Sanson has always walked a wobbly line between the two, adroitly avoiding falling headlong into either camp. It is also a gentle dig at the pretensions to higher spiritual meaning in abstract art. In the centre are two photographs, one of rubber masks and the other of the artist in a lurid fright wig and mask and using a spray can like a young tagger. These images, where the artist wears a mask and teeters on bright red platforms, are wonderfully ludicrous send-ups of the 'fine art' of painting. (Geoff Wallis from 'Gareth Sansom: Alternative Person", Art Gallery of Ballarat, 2012) This work was exhibited and published in the catalogue of the exhibition 'Gareth Sansom: Alternative Person' at the Art Gallery of Ballarat in 2012 item. art, artwork, gareth sansom, sansom, mixed media, oils, enamel, photo-collage

Hetti Perkins introduces this collection of reproductions of of Western Arnhem Land bark paintings, rock art, woven fibre art and wooden sculpture that was exhibited by the Art Gallery of NSW in 2004, emphasising the cultural foundations of the Kuninjku artists, their beliefs, artistic conventions and innovations. The book includes interviews with traditional rock and bark artists (including some language), and essays describing the connection of the people to the land, their spiritual beliefs and their art. There are also reproductions of works on paper and woven forms and an essay on the role of women in producing these art forms. An essay by Professor Jon Altmann is entitled "Brokering Kuninjku Art: Artists, Institutions and the Market. A chronolgy details the history of aboriginal art in the area, there are biographies of the artists whose works were included in the exhibition, a list of the works themselves, a glossary of place names, art terms, aboriginal, linguistic and anthropological terms, and a select bibliography. The list of contributors includes, as well as the two mentioned above, Dr Murray Garde, Apolline Kohen, Steven Miller, Cara Pinchbeck and Dr Luke Taylor.Colour photographs

Carole WILSON (1960- ) Born Canberra, Australia Carole Wilson is an artist living and working in Ballarat, Victoria where she is Associate Professor in Visual Arts and Deputy Dean in the School of Arts. Carole studied at both the Canberra School of Art and Philip Institute of Technology, now RMIT, in Melbourne and completed a PhD at the University of Ballarat in 2001. Her original training was in printmaking and she was a founding member of Jillposters, feminist poster group, in 1983 and worked at Another Planet Posters, Melbourne. For over a decade Carole Wilson has utilised discarded and salvaged materials such as floral carpets, maps and atlases to create works which engage with aspects of botany, garden history, travel and historical ornament. In recent years she has undertaken residencies in Italy, the US, Malaysia and The Netherlands which have all had a significant impact on her work. 'Woven Mantra: A Visual Expression of Meditation' is the title of Carole Wilson's thesis undertaken for a PhD - Visual Arts at the University of Ballarat in 2001. The research project examines the links between spiritual practice and visual art. More specifically, the research examines the relationships between repetition of a manta, and repetition of an image. 2010- Senior Lecturer in Visual Arts, Honours and Research Degrees Co-ordinator 2009-2011 Lecturer in Studio Practice and Postgraduate Co-ordinator 1999-2008 Lecturer in Visual Arts (Sessional) 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.Framed artwork by Carole Wilson.art, artwork, carole wilson, wilson, university of ballarat, doctorate, arts academy, mixed media, monoprint, haberdashery

Also known as the King George V memorial building this branch of the Mission to Seamen opened in 1937 as a replacement for the old Mission in Port Melbourne. The Foundation stone was laid by the Victorian State Governor and a photograph of the event is also held in the MTSV collection. The Art Deco style building was commissioned by merchant and philanthropist, Alfred Michael Nicholas (1881-1937) and designed by prolific Melbourne-based architect Harry A. Norris (1888-1966) in 1937 best known for his commercial work in Melbourne city centre. NB PMHPS Kindly allowed MTSV heritage to take scans of the Kelly series notes in their collection for reference in 2019.One of the few full colour images of this building originally classified by the National Trust and now demolished. An example of architect Harry Norris' work 1937. All that remains are a ceramic plaque, a brick and several items of chapel artefacts. Alison Kelly, a photographer, was part of the group supporting the Port Melbourne Seamen's Mission in the 1980s and 1990s. She took a series of photographs of the building now held by the Port Melbourne Historical and Preservation Society.Full colour Postcard featuring colour image of a large red brick building in a 1930s era Architecture. There is a green wrought iron gate ajar in the foreground with the word SEAMAN spelled out. MISSIONS TO SEAMEN can also be seen spelled ut in white across and down the central clock tower of the building and this is surmounted with a white flagpole.On verso: Printed: "Heritage Series / POST CARD " at right angles in small print from lwr edge to upper: "PHOTOGRAPHY BY ALISON KELLY PORT HERITAGE SERIES NO 6". At Lwr left crnr printed:" Missions to Seamen Building, Port Melbourne/ Designed in the Modern style by architect Harry Norris,/ this 1937 National Trust classified structure was until 1972 / an entertainment and spiritual centre for seamen, with / important roles during the war [WW2] and immigration periods"king george v, memorial chapel, harry a. norris, brick, art deco, alfred m. nicholas, beach street, mission to seamen, alison kelly, 1937, arts centre, seamen mission, mission to seafarers, port melbourne

Hans Schiebold, lives in Seaford and is a former ship’s captain who migrated to Australia more than three decades ago, Schiebold is fully immersed in his life as an artist. In 2012, he was a finalist of the ANL Maritime Art Prize. This artwork was an entry for the Maritime Art Prize 2014.RealistPainting on Unframed stretched canvas depicting courtyard and Bell tower of MTSV chapelInscribed on stretcher: HANS SCHIEBOLD HOME FROM HOME mission to seafarers victoria, spanish-courtyard, bell tower, artwork, hans schiebold, mission to seafarers, seamen's mission, flinders street, courtyard, bell, tables, arches, artwork-paintings, 2014, maritime art prize

"Asylum seekers in great desperation."This artwork was an entry for the Maritime Art Prize 2019. David Rowe, editorial Ccrtoonist of The Australian Financial Review, has won the Art Prize in 2010.Marine artOil on canvas depicting asylum seekers in great desperation as they are helping two men in the water to get on board.mission to seafarers victoria, artwork, mission to seafarers, seamen's mission, flinders street, artwork-paintings, maritime art prize, sea, ship, 2019, migrants, migration, diaspora, asylum, desperation, sinking, david rowe, cartoonist

Situated in King Street, Eltham, Alistair Knox built his home and office in 1962-1963 with mud-bricks made from the local soil and recycled materials blending the house with bush around it. Knox popularised the Eltham earth building movement, begun by Montsalvat founder, Justus Jorgensen. Alistair Knox (1912-1986) was also an Eltham Shire Councillor 1971-1975 and Shire President in 1975. Knox established the inaugural Eltham Community Festival in 1975. Covered under Heritage Overlay, Nillumbik Planning Scheme. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then /​ Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p145 Lack of money was a strong incentive for Alistair Knox to do what he did best when he built his house and office at King Street, Eltham in 1962-63. He used mud-bricks from local soil and recycled materials, characteristically blending the house with the bush around it. The result was a work of art. Knox popularised the Eltham earth building movement,1 begun by Montsalvat founder Justus Jörgensen. He was also an Eltham Shire Councillor from 1971 to 1975 and Shire President in 1975. For Knox mud-brick building was not just a building style, but a spiritual experience and a way of relating with nature. At 40 he rediscovered God and his building reflected his theological, political, philosophical and particularly environmental world view, which was far ahead of its time.2 He also contributed to building development in his use of concrete slab foundations when stumps and bearers were the norm. Knox was introduced to mud-brick construction in 1940 by Jörgensen, then shortly after, Knox joined the Navy. In 1946 Knox studied Building Practice and Theory at Melbourne Technical College (now RMIT University). There he befriended fellow student and artist Matcham Skipper who belonged to what was then called the Jörgensen Artists’ Colony. Knox decided to build an earth building in Eltham, partly because the post-war huge building demands resulted in expensive and scarce building materials. He asked artist Sonia Skipper for help who, with Matcham, had constructed mud-brick buildings at the Artists’ Colony. The simple rectangular low-lying house at King Street is framed by native plants and a 3.6 metres wide pergola surrounds the building. Wedded to the landscape, a door in every room at the perimeter, opens outside. The property also includes a forge, a small hut built by son Macgregor at 15, and a mud-brick tower for chickens. Building materials were foraged from a wide variety of sources. Some of the joinery material came from old whisky vats. When the Oregon of the highest quality ‘was put through the wood-working machines, it gave off a deep smell of whisky that made the whole atmosphere exotic and heady’.3 Amateur builders, including schoolboys from Knox’s Presbyterian Church, made some of the mud-bricks. But the building was finished with the professional help of Yorkshire builder, Eric Hirst. Inside, the light is subdued with the mud-brick, beamed timber ceilings and floors of slate, timber or orange-brown tiles. Skylights, with rich blue and red leadlighting, illuminate one entrance area and this feature is repeated as edging on the door. The centre of the house is like a covered courtyard, with rooms built around it. The central room, 11 metres x 7 metres, was built in the same proportions as Knox’s mud-bricks. Clerestory windows on four sides infuse the room with a soft light. A huge brick fireplace extends beyond one corner and opposite is a small one where timber can only be placed vertically. The slate for the floor was discarded from the Malthouse Brewery now used as a theatre in Southbank. In the middle is a large refectory table and benches that seat 18. Like much of the house, it is rugged, yet beautiful. Made of Western Australian Jarrah by Macgregor with a chain saw and an adze, it retains knot and nail holes. Each wall has an opening, 2.4 metres at the ends and 3.6 metres at the sides. Only one has doors and these concertina doors are made of the backs of old church pews. The main bedroom has an ensuite with a marble hand basin discarded from the Victorian Parliament building; and a dressing room, where two wardrobes of polished timber recovered from a tip are attached to the walls. Separate from the house is the strikingly original circular-shaped office made of bluestone sourced from the original Army campsite at Broadmeadows.This collection of almost 130 photos about places and people within the Shire of Nillumbik, an urban and rural municipality in Melbourne's north, contributes to an understanding of the history of the Shire. Published in 2008 immediately prior to the Black Saturday bushfires of February 7, 2009, it documents sites that were impacted, and in some cases destroyed by the fires. It includes photographs taken especially for the publication, creating a unique time capsule representing the Shire in the early 21st century. It remains the most recent comprehenesive publication devoted to the Shire's history connecting local residents to the past. nillumbik now and then (marshall-king) collection, alistair and margot knox house, alistair knox design, mudbrick construction, eltham, king street

‘In the Tracks of Hercules’ was a multi-media visual and performing arts event in London in December 2005, transforming this ancient hero into a spiritual trail-blazer for our time. The Lucis Trust, London, as part of its educational outreach sponsored this exhibition at the Wathen Hall and Lennox Gallery. The Lucis Trust is an educational charity which promotes an understanding of spiritual values and principles and works towards right human relationships. Alice Bailey in her book ‘The Labours of Hercules’ an astrological interpretation, links Hercules’ journey through the labours, with the twelve signs of the zodiac. The guidelines of the exhibition called for works of art, music, poetry, dance and prose that would encapsulate the great leap of imagination that Hercules faced at each stage of his journey to reach the highest expression of who he was. At the start of his journey through the twelve labours, the ancient story tells us “Minerva handed him a robe, woven by herself, a robe that fitted well, of beauty rare and fine. He put it on with triumph and with pride, exalting in his youth, he had to prove himself” (The Labours of Hercules, by A Bailey). The robe impressed upon him a sense of vocation. Our group, the Aquarian Esoteric Group, was studying Baily’s book early in 2005 and with so much creative ability in our group, my vision was to blend our many talents and create ‘Minerva’s Robe’. The Lucis Trust accepted our suggestion for the robe as an entry to the exhibition and the enthusiasm, creativity and joy that followed amazed us all. Inspired at each stage by one of us, with particular skills needed, knitting, felting, beading, dressmaking and copper engraving. It truly became the 13th labour of love! The robe was exhibited in the foyer at the performing arts and then at the visual arts exhibition. Now it has returned to Melbourne we feel it’s journey should continue as a gift to the National Wool Museum, Geelong, for future exhibitions we hope it will inspire the spirit of group endeavour to continue in our country and in the world. We believe in this lies the vision for humanity. - Anne Heywood, on behalf of the Aquarian Esoteric Group 'Minerva's Robe' is a large hand knitted and felted garment decorated with beads, yarn twists and copper discs. The discs represent the astrological signs of the group participants.knitting handicrafts textile art, aquarian esoteric group, costume, knitting, handicrafts, textile art, anne heywood, robe

Thangkas are cloth scrolls unique to Tibetan Buddhism, depicting deities, venerated spiritual figures, or religious symbols. Intended for personal meditation or instruction of monastic students, they are invested with the spirit of a deity to whom they are consecrated. The design of a thangka allows it to be rolled up for easy transport, a feature that was essential for traveling monks and practitioners in nomadic regions. The Shakyamuni Buddha thangkas serve as potent aids for cultivating compassion and awareness, offering inspiration and spiritual guidance to practitioners. The Buddha's path to enlightenment and subsequent teachings form the foundation of Buddhist philosophy. This thangka features an image of the Buddha in a meditative pose, holding an alms bowl in his lap. Framed by rich red textiles and surrounded by vibrant floral and cloud motifs, it is mounted on wooden dowels and topped with a yellow cover cloth.buddhist art, tibetan buddhism, holy objects

Thangkas are cloth scrolls unique to Tibetan Buddhism, depicting deities, venerated spiritual figures, or common religious symbols. Intended for personal meditation or instruction of monastic students, they are invested with the spirit of a deity to whom they are consecrated. A thangka is a composite art form consisting of a picture panel which is painted or embroidered; a brocade mounting; and one or more of the following: a silk cover, leather corners, wooden dowels at the top and bottom and metal or wooden decorative knobs on the bottom dowel. This allows a thangka to be rolled up for portability, reflecting its origins in the nomadic lifestyle of Tibetan monks.The Medicine Buddha (also known as Bhaisajyaguru or Sangyé Menla) is revered as the embodiment of healing and associated with practices helping with mental and physical ailments, as well as purifying negative karma. His iconic imagery, including the medicine bowl and healing plant, represents the union of wisdom and compassion as forces of healing. His teachings, rooted in the "Four Medicine Tantras," emphasize that the root of all diseases lies in negative emotions of greed, hatred, and ignorance.The central figure in this old thangka is Medicine Buddha, seated on a lotus throne and surrounded by other deities and figures. He has a bowl in his left hand, and a flower in his right hand. An interesting feature is that his body is not painted blue, as is customary for the image Medicine Buddha. The paint colours were derived from natural ingredients – grinded coral, turquoise and other gemstones. The 'Om Ah Hum' mantra is printed in Tibetan in red ink on the verso of the thangka.buddhist art, tibetan buddhism, holy objects

Woodblock printing in Tibet began to flourish from the 10th century onwards, driven by the high demand for Buddhist scriptures and images. Monasteries saw woodblock printing as a means to preserve and propagate authentic Buddhist teachings. The durability of woodblocks made them ideal for creating lasting impressions of sacred texts, enabling mass production and wide dissemination. Jambhala is a Bodhisattva of material and spiritual wealth often invoked by practitioners seeking to eliminate poverty and remove obstacles and misfortunes.Woodblock print of Jambhala on yellow cloth, created using an old wooden handcrafted printing board from Tashilhunpo Monastery in Tibet. woodblock printing, buddhist art

Tsatsas are small votive tablets shaped like deities, stupas, or sacred symbols. Buddhists may vow to create 100,000 tsatsas for purification and merit. These can be placed as an offering in holy sites, home altars, or gau boxes. Traditionally made of clay using moulds, tsatsas are dried, decorated, and blessed with mantras.Portable nature of tsatsas allows them to accompany practitioners on journeys, providing spiritual protection and serving as a focus for prayer and meditation. Due to their inexpensive production and portability, tsatsas made a great contribution to the spread of Buddhism in Tibet. This tsatsa is of the Buddha in a sitting position, accompanied by two standing figures. The Buddha is richly adorned with delicate carvings around it. The tsatsa features inscriptions in an ancient script.buddhist art, tibetan buddhism, holy objects

Thangkas are cloth scrolls unique to Tibetan Buddhism, depicting deities, venerated spiritual figures, or religious symbols. Intended for personal meditation or instruction of monastic students, they are invested with the spirit of a deity to whom they are consecrated. The design of a thangka allows it to be rolled up for easy transport, a feature that was essential for traveling monks and practitioners in nomadic regions. Padmasambhava thangkas are used to invoke protection, dispel obstacles, and deepen tantric practice. His image serves as a powerful reminder of transformation, spiritual resilience, and the integration of wisdom and compassion.This thangka portrays Padmasambhava seated on a lotus with a red cap, the legs crossed, the right hand holding a dorje (vajra) and the left resting in his lap. Smaller deities or lineage masters appear above and below him, each enclosed in circular frames, signifying the transmission of teachings. The thangka is framed with layers of silk brocade in yellow, red, orange and blue, with floral and cloud motifs that evoke the celestial realm. A decorative fringe at the bottom adds ceremonial richness, while the yellow fabric-covered rod at the top allows the thangka to be hung for ritual or meditative use.buddhist art, tibetan buddhism, holy objects

Thangkas are cloth scrolls unique to Tibetan Buddhism, depicting deities, venerated spiritual figures, or religious symbols. Intended for personal meditation or instruction of monastic students, they are invested with the spirit of a deity to whom they are consecrated. The design of a thangka allows it to be rolled up for easy transport, a feature that was essential for traveling monks and practitioners in nomadic regions. In Tibetan Buddhism, White Tara represents maternal compassion, healing, longevity, and purity. She is a female Buddha who offers swift help to those in need, providing protection, removing obstacles, and granting long life to practitioners for the purpose of spiritual practice and enlightenment. White Tara is worshipped for her ability to heal physical and mental illnesses.This thangka depicts White Tara seated in a meditative posture, radiating serenity and benevolence. Her white body symbolises purity and transcendent wisdom, and she is adorned with rich ornaments and flowing silks, reflecting her enlightened status.buddhist art, tibetan buddhism, holy objects

Thangkas are cloth scrolls unique to Tibetan Buddhism, depicting deities, venerated spiritual figures, or religious symbols. Intended for personal meditation or instruction of monastic students, they are invested with the spirit of a deity to whom they are consecrated. The design of a thangka allows it to be rolled up for easy transport, a feature that was essential for traveling monks and practitioners in nomadic regions. The Shakyamuni Buddha thangkas serve as potent aids for cultivating compassion and awareness, offering inspiration and spiritual guidance to practitioners. The Buddha's path to enlightenment and subsequent teachings form the foundation of Buddhist philosophy.Embroided thangka with outer cover, fringing and embroided Shakyamuni Buddha deity. Surrounded by three borders with floral motifs in gold.buddhist art, tibetan buddhism, holy objects

This page is from a Tibetan prayer book. Such books are long, narrow, and printed horizontally. The pages are unbound and stored with wooden covers with silk brocade wrapped around them. The ancient Tibetan art of printing was developed to reproduce Buddhist scriptures and images of the Buddha. Monasteries or wealthy laypersons often commissioned books to gain spiritual merit. Books were printed using woodblock technique, still utilised today, on handmade paper. Scripture books are venerated by both monks and general population. A double-sided sheet of Buddhist scripture written in Tibetan script on hand-made paper. The sheet is torn in half and frying at the edges due to old age.Includes a Bodhicitta prayer and some dedication prayers.tibetan buddhism

The kit is designed for the general public, teachers and students, to give an understanding of Australian Indigenous people and culture and to break down stereotypes that are common in the school system and the wider community. The information presented is about the cultural, spiritual, economic and religious aspects of pre-contact societies. The impact of invasion on traditional societies and the post-colonial history of Australian Indigenous people is explored.Maps, b&w illustrations, b&w photographs, colour photographsculture, history, john batman, batman treaty, coranderrk mission, koorie culture, lake condah mission, kinship systems, aboriginal art, dreaming stories, kulin, gunai/kurnai, mara, wotjobaluk, wudjubaluk, koori

'Surveyor of Suburban Environs' was one of the acquisitions from the 1991 Eltham Art Awards (now known as the Nillumbik Prize - and formally the Nillumbik Art Awards). This was the first piece acquired from this award which was suitable for a public space. Nillumbik is referred to as the "Green Wedge" and the sculpture "Surveyor of Suburban Environs" suggests a watchful observer of the surrounding landscape. The sculpture's central motif represents an eye held up on a pedestal by a tail. Its form has been likened to the Eye of Horus, an ancient Egyptian symbol of protection, royal power and good health personified in the goddess Wadjet or 'green one'. This likeness would suggest that the observer or surveyor has a divine status and spiritual connection to its environment. Polished stainless steel sculpture comprising an eye reminiscent of ancient egyptian hieroglyphics, which is held up with a tappered and jaggered tail like pedestal. Concrete base. N/Apublic art, fries, spiritual, eye, stainless steel, goddess, surveyor, sculpture, environment

The Buddhist monk Guangqia visited Karl Duldig’s studio on two consecutive days, in the company of the noted Chinese writer, Professor Yu Dafu, a friend of Karl’s. Karl made two portraits of the monk, the first depicting him sitting, and the second in a standing pose. The portraits were drawn using a Chinese brush and Indian ink. Surviving sketches in the Studio’s collection indicate that Karl thought about creating a life-size sculpture later on, but this was not realised. Guangqia added inscriptions in his own hand to both drawings and stamped them with a red seal. The seated drawing has an inscription in which he quoted from a Buddhist poem, ‘A Contented Mind’ by the scholar Lingfeng of Mt Tiantai. In the summer I went to visit the Austrian sculptor Duldig with Professor Yu Da Fu. My virtue is slight – I cannot accept your offerings and gifts; I am amply rewarded by the clouds and springs. Rather than a table laden with pearl-like rice, I prefer the wind and leaves falling on my bed. Sitting quietly on my meditation cushion Is sweeter than the wheat offered by a thousand families. The pity is that I am gradually growing old; My bitter journey is not worthy of your offerings. The second drawing has a quote from a Buddhist poem on the study of Chán (Zen) Buddhism, by the famed Chán master, Dàjiàn Huìnéng (638–713): The portrait, with its figure positioned on a scroll-like ground and inscription is reminiscent of traditional Zen Buddhist portraiture. In this school of portraiture, which stretched back to at least the thirteenth century, monks were depicted sitting or standing facing the viewer, and typically the monk added an autographic inscription to the portrait. The portraits were often passed from master to disciple, continuing the disciples’ journey of spiritual enlightenment and were revered for their association with remarkable or holy priests. The Buddhist monk, Guangqai who added his inscription and stamp to the drawings would most certainly have been aware of this tradition. It is likely that Karl was aware of this tradition, one of the points where the studio’s collections of art works from Singapore intersect with the earlier Viennese collections can be found in the Library where a catalogue of an exhibition, 'Ausstellung Ostasiatischer Malerie und Graphik' is held. The Viennese Friends of Asian Art and Culture and the Albertina Museum staged this exhibition of East Asian painting and graphic works in 1932. Such was the internationalism of Duldig’s education in Vienna, that adaption to a new environment and culture in the Straits Settlement was swift, and he was able to interpret the artistic traditions of the place, and make them his own. It is part of the strength of the collection, that in many cases contemporary supporting documentation for the works of art is available. In this case there is a photograph of the Monk with Yu Ta-fu, and Karl and Eva Duldig, outside the studio at the time the drawings were made. Ann Carew 2016The portraits of Guangqai have national and international aesthetic significance. The works of art demonstrate the artist’s skill in capturing the physical appearance and demeanour of his subject, and his ability to adapt his working methods to incorporate traditional Asian materials and cultural practices. The portrait is one of few examples in Melbourne of a central European modernist artists working in, and engaging with Asia, during this period and it is culturally and aesthetically significant for this reason. The portraits are also historically interesting in documenting the life and experiences of Karl Duldig in the Straits Settlement (Singapore). Ann Carew 2016Brush drawing in chinese ink on paper. Seated Buddhist Monk. Chinese calligraphy hand written in black ink. Two red stamps under calligraphy.Signed Karl Duldig in l.r. corner. Dated Singapore 1940 in l.l. corner.

This sculpture is a bronze cast of Karl Duldig’s 1956 terracotta sculpture titled 'Moses'. The terracotta sculpture won the 1956 Victorian Sculptor of the Year award, an honor given by the Victorian Society of Sculptors. The National Gallery of Victoria purchased the original terracotta sculpture for the Gallery’s collection in 1956. In 1979 the NGV allowed Karl to cast the original terracotta sculpture in bronze (to a limited edition of 5). The National Gallery of Victoria holds one of these casts and one is in Duldig Studio collection. The original terracotta sculpture was exhibited in 1956 at the Olympic Arts Exhibition in Wilson Hall at the University of Melbourne. Two other works by Karl were also exhibited, a sandstone titled 'Adam and Eve' and a work titled 'Fountain'. The catalogue for the Olympic exhibition, which promoted modernism across a variety of disciplines, noted that Australia’s post war immigration program had given ‘further momentum to the modernist cause’. The identification of émigré artists, such as Karl Duldig, with the acceptance of modernism in Australia became a major theme in any discussion of art and design in the post war period. Ann Carew 2016The subject Moses and the tablets of law is an important theme in the history of art. For example the National Gallery of Victoria collection includes paintings on this topic by the Australian Aboriginal artist, Queenie McKenzie (1991), prints by the Russian-French modernist artist, Marc Chagall (1956), and a painting by 19th century British academic painter, John Rogers Herbert (1870s). Michelangelo’s sculpture of Moses is perhaps the most famous sculptural interpretation of the subject. In Karl’s hands we have a modern interpretation of the theme. His simplification and abstraction of form and attention to surface modeling is masterly. The figure has an emotional intensity and despite its relatively small scale, a ‘forceful monumentality’. The sculpture is aesthetically significant for its craftsmanship, expressive qualities and modernity. It is historically significant because of its associations with the 1956 Olympic Arts Festival. The Duldig Studio’s bronze cast of the sculpture was exhibited in the exhibition '1956: Melbourne, modernity and the XVI Olympiad, Museum of Modern Art at Heide.' Apart from the formal qualities of a work like Moses, its relevance as a motif in Judaism and Christian faiths ensures its place as a work of spiritual significance. Ann Carew 2016Bronze cast from terracotta sculpture. Depicts Moses as in Exodus 32 when he returns from Sinai with the tablets of the law to find his people worshipping the golden calf, in his fury he holds the tablets aloft above his head before crashing them down on the ground.