Lorraine Connelly-Northey, 2010, Three Rivers Country, Corrugated iron, tin, mesh and wire, Museum of Contemporary Art.
And, as a result, much of the work in this exhibition is political, or at least, a 'statement'. And where it isn't, one is faced with the issue of the more 'traditional' interpretations being seen, and bought, by whites as 'abstract expressionism'. Confused? I certainly am...
Michael Cook, Broken Dreams, 2010, Digital colour photographs, NGA Canberra.
However, the fact that Indigenous art can now be successfully contemporary, and shown in the hallowed halls of this institution, is a good thing. And while the political confrontation of Vernon Ah Kee's tall man (about the tragic death of a young man on Palm Island) or the 'in your face' shock value of Tony Albert's Pay Attention Mother Fuckers leave me wondering whether this is in fact 'art', other works by Lorraine Connelly-Northey and Michael Cook still get the message across while amazing with their conceptual brilliance and execution. My final comment is that its a pity it is only to be held every three years...