Harry Tjutjuna is known for his iconic paintings of Wati Wanka

Part of a generous gift of Glenn Manser, this radiant work by senior Anangu artist Harry Tjutjuna is now held in the Gallery’s Collection. In the 1970s, many Anangu spoke out against revealing works based on Tjukurpa (Dreaming) to the general public, and chose to keep their own traditions and art strictly separate. Here, we…

Food, better lives, and a bowl of cherries

The Gallery’s major exhibition and film program ‘Harvest: Art, Film and Food’ presents a selection of works from the Collection, alongside feature films and documentaries, depicting food across the ages and exploring food production, distribution and consumption from multiple perspectives. Here, Frances Bonner looks at connections between feminism, permaculture and food futures. ‘Harvest: Art, Film and…

From the battlefield to the home front: Conservation secrets revealed

George W. (Washington) Lambert was commissioned by the Australian Government and concentrated on set-piece battlefield paintings in Palestine & Turkey. Conservation on one of these works, Walk (An incident at Romani) 1919-22 has involved examination and removal of a discoloured dirt and grime layer from the picture surface. Lambert served as an Official World War One artist…

Politics of food

During ‘Harvest: Art, Film and Food’, GOMA Talks explores food, its production, consumption, symbolism, and role in contemporary life and continues its partnership with national broadcaster ABC Radio National (RN). We asked Paul Barclay, host of our last GOMA Talks during ‘Harvest’ about the politics of food before Thursday 31 July Cookbooks, cooking shows and…

Vale: Gordon Bennett

With great sadness, the Gallery acknowledges the passing of Gordon Bennett on 3 June 2014. Indisputably one of Australia’s most significant contemporary artists, Bennett made extraordinarily nuanced, clear and consistent contributions to discussions around race, identity, socialisation, colonialism, globalisation and citizenship in this country. Gordon Bennett’s arrival on the Brisbane art scene is one I…

Bilum – A cultural icon

The Sisters of Mercy — a not-for-profit, faith-based organisation in Australia and Papua New Guinea — teaches textile-making skills to the disadvantaged, including prisoners in Bihute, in the Eastern Highlands Province. The Gallery recently acquired a group of six colourful bilums from Bihute, extending its Pacific textile holdings and engaging with this cultural tradition. The…