Môtiers/ Val-de-Travers, Switzerland: Museum of Australian Aboriginal Art "La grange", 2012.
Texts by Bruno David and Ian McNiven and Simon Wright
Exhibition catalogue at the Museum of Australian Aboriginal Art "La grange", Môtiers/ Val-de-Travers, Switzerland, 3 June - 28 October 2012.
Essays : 'The Sea the Spirits and the Ancestors' by Bruno David and Ian McNiven. A Contemporary Art Terrior-ist by Simon Wright.
Format 21 x 21 cm
Bilingual French/English catalogue
Paperback, 123 pages, 51 illustrations
The Burkhardt-Felder Arts and Culture Foundation is delighted to present the Swiss premiere of the work of Dennis Nona, an internationally acclaimed Aboriginal artist from the Torres Strait Islands in Australia, at its Australian Aboriginal art museum "La grange" in Môtiers. Since it opened in 2008, "La grange", the only museum of Australian Aboriginal art in Switzerland, has presented two exhibitions. The first, Treasures of the Spirit, was designed to introduce visitors to the spiritual concepts of the Aboriginal peoples. The second, Aboriginal Visions, was intended, as its name suggests, to highlight the special way in which Aboriginal people perceive their environment, while at the same time emphasising the diversity of Australian Aboriginal cultures.
This year, the museum is presenting a monographic exhibition by an artist whose work and culture of origin (Torres Strait Islands) are at the crossroads of two worlds: Australasia and Australia.
The exhibition Waii, The Engraved Work of Dennis Nona aims to provide a more nuanced picture of Australia by introducing Swiss audiences to an exceptional artist from the remote Torres Strait Islands in Australia's far north. An accomplished engraver who has won numerous awards for his art in Australia, Dennis Nona translates the ancient legends of his islands and tells them in a graphic style using innovative techniques. His works, whose magnificence equals their complexity, represent a perfect marriage between tradition and contemporary interpretation. More recently, his particular vision and extraordinary talent as an engraver have also found expression in sculpture, which is received by enthusiasts with as much enthusiasm as his engraved work.