Arthouse Films - Art + Soul (2010) Part 1 Home and Away. 331/03/2013 15:42:56
Art + Soul Hetti Perkins presents art + soul, a powerful and emotionally engaging television series about contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art, and the artists who create it. An Eastern Arrernte and Kalkadoon desert woman, Hetti is senior curator of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, daughter of political activist Charles Perkins and sister of filmmaker Rachel Perkins (First Australians, Bran Nue Dae). With great generosity, she shares her extraordinary knowledge of Aboriginal art, visiting the homes and studios of artists in remote desert communities, the tropical top end, and in urban environments. She also brings personal anecdotes to the fore, recalling her family’s own story, and her father’s legacy: “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.” Past and present, tradition and modernity, the imagination and individual experiences of artists, converge. Art + Soul views Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art through a political prism, which allows for a richer appreciation of the artworks? And thereby of Aboriginal Australia and the life forces that underpin it. The series celebrates the survival and resilience of a whole culture.
Part 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? In episode one, we start with Alice Springs and what a fantastic place to start! Smack bang in the middle of Australia. From there, we go out to the Gibson Desert, and then to an artist’s studio in Brisbane, then western Arnhem land in the NT, to Ricky Maynard and Destiny Deakin in Melbourne. Crusoe Kurddal was born in 1961 and is part of the Maningrida community in western Arnhem Land, Northern Territory. Kurddal is renowned for his mimih sculptures, which are created in the tradition of his father, Crusoe Kuningbal. Kurddal’s work has been featured in national and international exhibitions including the 26th National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Award, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory in Darwin, 2009; Melbourne Art Fair, William Mora Galleries, 2008; Rarrk London, Bargehouse Gallery, London, 2007; and the 2000 Biennale of Sydney. Kurddal debuted as the lead actor in Rolf de Heer's 2006 feature film Ten Canoes and has since appeared in Baz Luhrmann's 2008 film Australia.