Australian Consualte-General, Guangzhou
Media Release PD 42/07 05 December 2007
Unique art exhibition from northern Australia comes to Guangzhou
“The Australian Consulate-General is proud to present Gelam Nguzu Kazi - Dugong My Son, an Indigenous Australian art exhibition from the Torres Strait islands in northern Queensland,” the Australian Consul-General in Guangzhou, Mr Sean Kelly, announced today. “The exhibition can be seen at the Guangdong Museum of Art from 6 to 23 December”.
Gelam Nguzu Kazi - Dugong My Son is an international touring exhibition prepared by the Australian Government’s Artbank, in partnership with Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. It is the first exhibition of limited edition linocuts by the artists of the Mualgau Minaral Artist Collective from Mua Island in the Torres Strait. The exhibition toured nationally in Australia from 2001 to 2003.
Based on their carving traditions, the Gelam Nguzu Kazi artists have pioneered a unique style of Torres Strait art to tell their ancient history and stories in contemporary form. Gelam is an important body of work through which the artists explore their social and physical environment, reclaiming and reaffirming their culture for future generations.
“The Australian Government values and supports the unique contribution Indigenous artists make to the identity of Australia’s culturally diverse society”, Mr Kelly said. “The Gelam Nguzu Kazi exhibition will increase international understanding of the diversity of Indigenous Australia, and in particular, the unique traditions of the western Torres Strait”.
In conjunction with the Gelam exhibition, the Australian Consulate-General has also invited the Baiwa Dance Company, a Torres Strait Islander dance group, to perform at the opening ceremony of the exhibition. The dance group includes some former members of internationally renowned Indigenous dance troupe - Bangarra, which performed at the opening ceremony of 2000 Sydney Olympics Games, and also visited Guangzhou in 2003.
The Baiwa Dance Company also includes two artists whose works are included in the Gelam Exhibition, David Bosun and Billy Missi, who learned their rich cultural heritage through dancing and singing since they were very young.
For further information regarding the exhibition and performance of the Baiwa Dance Company, and please contact Ms Ellen Chen on 38140183.