ART GALLERY BRINGS KOORIE CULTURE TO MAINSTREAM MELBOURNE

Aboriginal Art Directory | 12.07.10

Author: Laura Hill

A group of 21 hand-picked local and interstate Indigenous artists will showcase their art at Victoria’s next PaRing Gallery exhibition, hosted by the Toyota Community Spirit Gallery.

Opened on Wednesday 7 July 2010, the exhibition features 45 works of art, some never seen by the public before.

Curator for the Toyota Community Spirit Gallery Ken Wong said the PaRing Gallery was the first Indigenous art exhibition to be staged at Toyota Australia’s corporate headquarters in Port Melbourne.

“Since the first Toyota Community Spirit Gallery exhibition in 2004, we’ve worked towards staging an exhibition that highlights the brilliant work of local and interstate Indigenous artists,” Mr Wong said.

He said more than 70 emerging and established Indigenous artists applied to contribute work to the PaRing Gallery exhibition.

“The quality and originality of art submitted was exceptional, which made choosing only 45 works a difficult task. The result however, is a thought-provoking collection of contemporary Indigenous art including paintings, digital prints, photography and sculpture,” Mr Wong said.

To bring Aboriginal culture to mainstream Melbourne, the Toyota Community Spirit Gallery has partnered with Victoria’s Koorie Heritage Trust (KHT) to stage the 5th PaRing Gallery exhibition.

Chief Executive Officer of KHT Jason Eades said the PaRing Gallery was a roving gallery designed to create pathways between the Melbourne business community and Aboriginal culture.

“The Toyota Community Spirit Gallery is an established and popular Melbourne arts space. Staging the next PaRing Gallery there will allow the local community, nearby businesses and Toyota employees to engage with the art as well as learn more about the artists, where they come from and what their Indigenous heritage means to them,” Mr Eades said.

The Toyota Community Spirit Gallery has opened doors for more than 550 artists, by providing a free space to exhibit, promoting emerging artists and awarding a $10,000 grant for promising artists to further their careers.

The PaRing Gallery exhibition runs from 7 July to 15 October 2010 at the Toyota Community Spirit Gallery, 155 Bertie St, Port Melbourne. During this time the exhibition is open from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday or by appointment.

URL: www.watcharts.com.au/toyota.html

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Contact Details

Gallery: Koorie Heritage Trust Cultural Centre
Contact: Judy Allsop
Email: info@koorieheritagetrust.com
Telephone: +61 3 8622 6300
Address: Levels 1 and 3 Yarra Building, Federation Square Melbourne Melbourne 3000 VIC

 

 

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