about
About the series
An "insider's" view of contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art and artists. Charismatic curator Hetti Perkins takes us on a journey of ideas and the imagination - revealing the diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander life and culture.
Directed by Warwick Thornton (Samson & Dalilah)
"Art for me is a way for our people to share stories and allow a wider community to understand our history and us as a people." Hetti Perkins
Episode 1 - home and away
What does it mean to be 'at home' for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people? Is it where you live, or the 'country' you are exiled from?
Episode 2 - dreams and nightmares
From the 'dreaming' to the unsettling nightmare of colonisation, what is the role of memory, dreams and the spirit world in Aboriginal art?
Episode 3 - bitter and sweet
How does the startling beauty - and humour - of Aboriginal art intertwine with reverberations of the past and our present?
Credits:
Writer/presenter HETTI PERKINS
Director/ Cinematography WARWICK THORNTON
Producers BRIDGET IKIN and JO-ANNE McGOWAN
Editors ROLAND GALLOIS ASE and JAMES BRADLEY ASE
Sound Design LIAM EGAN
Music DAVID PAGE
SCREEN AUSTRALIA and HIBISCUS FILMS
in association with SCREEN NSW, the ART GALLERY OF NEW SOUTH WALES and the AUSTRALIA COUNCIL FOR THE ARTS
Developed and produced in association with the AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION
About the team
Hetti Perkins is a member of the Eastern Arrernte and Kalkadoon Aboriginal communities. She is the Senior Curator of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. She has curated major survey exhibitions of Indigenous art, including Australia's representation at the Venice Biennale in 1997, and most recently the Australian Indigenous Art Commission at the Musée du Quai Branly in Paris. She edited One Sun One Moon: Aboriginal Art in Australia. Hetti is the eldest daughter of Charlie Perkins, the esteemed Indigenous activist.
Warwick Thornton's debut feature Samson & Delilah won the Camera d'Or at Cannes in May 2009 and kept on winning the attention of judges and screened to audience acclaim across the world. It was one of nine films shortlisted in the foreign language films category in the Academy Awards, 2010.
About the book
This lavishly illustrated book features extended essays by Hetti Perkins, more than 150 artworks, together with photographs by director Warwick Thornton.
art + soul tells the remarkable stories of the artists and the art movements - heartfelt, intimate and political.
The Miegunyah Press
The Miegunyah Press is a special imprint of Melbourne University Publishing. Distinguished by their reputation for quality, books published under the Miegunyah imprint are produced to the highest standards of printing and design, and include a list of award-winning art, photography, historical and biographical titles.
About the exhibition
Drawing on key works from the Art Gallery of New South Wales' collection, this major exhibition art + soul showcases over 100 works by more than 40 leading Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists.
The exhibition reveals the range of contemporary artistic expressions that point to the enduring heritage of Indigenous Australia, in all its diversity and complexity.
About the events
October 2 - 4: Join us for an Open Weekend at the Art Gallery of New South Wales to celebrate Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander art and culture with over 60 free events for the whole family.
Three full days include performances, talks by curators, artists and celebrities, music, films, workshops and more.
Over 25 artists from all around Australia, many of whom are featured in the series and exhibition will be joining us for the Open Weekend celebrations to share their stories.