young british artist's photostream

I appropriate Aboriginal ideograms melding them to an English narrative thereby creating a cross cultural dialogue raising issues of ownership and authorship which attempt to overcome the barriers of our differing spoken languages and cultures. The chosen songlines are often banal or whimsical when compared to the sacred dreamings passed down through the 70,000 year history of artistic tradition belonging to the Aboriginal peoples of Australia.

My work concentrates on brightly coloured dot paintings, a particular style of work originating from Balgo, an area situated in The Great Western Desert 800km North West of Alice Springs. During the late 1960’s the nomadic people of that vast area were rounded up and interned in a reservation with no amenities, work or prospects. Up until that time they were legally hunted for sport by “white fellas” even though the United Nations - including South Africa, had tabled motions condemning the abhorrent practice as being an inhuman apartheid practice. Aboriginal people survived for thousands of years as hunter gatherers, in balance with nature, as one with the land, yet were expected to adapt to a western culture overnight. The government then changed its policy and systematically removed every child of school age from their families, placing them up for adoption to white people causing many of their parents to committed suicide or turn to drink having lost all their basic human rights.

Other areas of study.

We live in a phantasmagorical post-modern era in constant flux with culture being fragmented into a multiplicity of divergent sub-cultures differing from person to person depending on individual tastes. Culture is no longer a concrete national identity but is dictated to us by friends, family and company we keep, even though we are constantly bombarded with imagery by the press, television, advertising and the media at large, therefore my work also reflects this concept. I, as a professional artist, reserve the right to explore any and all areas of life and culture using any materials, techniques or styles I see fit. I reserve the right to invent, to question, to diversify and to experiment with ideologies on all philosophical levels and particularly relish the challenge of one off projects and commissions as a welcome break from my usual areas of study.

I approach the profession of fine artist as a quest for knowledge with my overall aim being to further my own intellectual growth and critical thinking rather than achieving fame or financial success, an act I have dedicated my life to.

Please be aware that I'm not very comfortable writing or replying to comments made regarding my work, however I DO appreciate it when visitors make the effort and I TRY to view all your images in return, so I'll thank all you kind folks here in one go... THANK YOU FRIENDS!