Art + Soul

Description

From the publishers of the bestseller 'First Australians' comes the lavishly illustrated 'art + soul', the companion book to the prime-time ABC TV series by the same name. 'art+soul' is inspired by the flourishing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art in Australia over the past thirty years, captivating viewers around the world with astonishingly powerful artworks. Hetti Perkins, the distinguished Aboriginal art curator, travels to the startlingly beautiful landscapes of remote Arnhem Land, saltwater country and the desert heartlands of Central Australia, sharing with us the rare privilege of being welcomed into the homes and homelands of many senior artists. This lavishly illustrated book captures the remarkable energy and diversity of Aboriginal art, from the Papunya Tula Artists, the renowned art movement that had its humble beginnings in the early 1970s, to Rover Thomas and his heirs' phenomenal achievements in the East Kimberley. It features the work of contemporary artists Destiny Deacon, Brenda L Croft and Michael Riley, and that of the celebrated Emily Kam Ngwarray, whose paintings revolutionised Australian art. 'art+soul' tells their stories-heartfelt, intimate and political. The book includes more than 150 artworks, and photographs by Warwick Thornton, director of the accompanying television series and the award-winning film 'Samson and Delilah'.

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 Musee 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.