ARTS & EVENTS

Bark With Bite: Aboriginal Bark Paintings

During the Wet: Aboriginal Bark Paintings
THERE'S NO DOUBT that for its current show, Hemphill Fine Arts is stepping outside of its comfort zone. Far from local fare, the exhibition instead looks to Australia Aboriginal bark paintings from the Western Arnhem Land in "During the Wet: Aboriginal Bark Paintings From Western Arnhem Land, Maningrida" — a challenge for any gallery space in Washington.

"From time to time, we look for shows that will put us outside the parameter of what we're familiar with," says gallery owner George Hemphill. "I became very interested in the idea that we were dealing with artwork that was very contemporary in its sensibility."

In fact, the paintings seem to find neighbors (albeit loosely) in Western minimalist art and the Buddhist mandala, with their crosshatching lines and tightly woven grids. They represent part of an ongoing dialogue among Aboriginal artists and a 40,000-year-old tradition that has been passed down from generation to generation.

Hemphill's show features 10 artists from the coastal town of Maningrida, population 2,600. This collection of obsessively geometric forms reveals interpretations of "dreamings," or legends of creation and of the earth's inner workings.

"In Maningrida, they have great mythological involvement with water and fishing, so when you look at the pieces, you're looking at what they've learned about the continuous flow of water," says Hemphill.

The paintings feel like living, breathing objects. The gallery even installed the bark on loose armatures to allow for growth as the pieces adapt to a new environment.

"Gungura With Goanna Tracks" by Samuel Namunjdja, seems to follow the natural curve of the bark in a mesmerizing fashion. But the real find of the show is the accompanying documentary capturing Maningrida's community, offering a sense of the setting and techniques of the artists and the ancient folklore that acts as muse for these works.

» Hemphill Fine Arts, 1515 14th St. NW; through May 30; 202-234-5601

Written by Express contributor Danielle O'Steen
Photo courtesy Hemphill Fine Arts

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COMMENTS (1)

  • People should run to see this unusual and rewarding show. Hemphill deserves credit for exhibiting Aboriginal bark paintings in the contemporary setting they deserve. This wonderful, thought provoking show is displayed with the abstract paintings of Robin Rose. It's a wonderful contrast of ancient-modern paintings against strictly modern works. Texturally, geometrically and color-wise, the two shows work in tandem and enlighten each other. It's a shame this show isn't getting more press since it's the only opportunity in years to see extraordinary contemporary bark paintings in Washington, DC.

    By msdc , Posted May 3, 2009 3:14 PM
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