
Among the myriad folk who orbit remote Aboriginal art centres:
Jeremy Cloake is a New Zealander of Maori/Irish heritage. He’s also an expert on playing the yidaki, the Yolngu name for didgeridoo. He spends months every year at Yirrkala, working in the art centre in diverse roles.
Dallas Gold was a chef before he studied art. He’s met collectors who are ‘hooked on Aboriginal art’. As a dealer, he shares their passion, ‘pushing art’ to the outside world. His gallery, RAFT, showcases difference. In an update, Dallas tells us that the exhibition with Peter Adsett he refers to was not an actual RAFT event, but a precursor. The first RAFT exhibition (2001) was Four Men, Four Paintings, with Rusty Peters, Freddie Timms, Paddy Bedford & Ramey Ramsey. Details here.
Joseph Brady is a multi-media artist from Melbourne. Now he and his family live in the remote Aboriginal community at Yirrkala, where he is the program director at the Mulka Project, the museum and digital production part of the art centre. Joseph makes audio and visual recordings of Yolngu ceremonies, or Bungul, such as initiations and funerals. The recordings are archived to preserve culture, but they are also popular viewing with family members: “The drama and highlights of ceremony are well worth re-visiting… the same way you might re-watch a wedding video.”
Listen to Episode 4
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