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The Star Online: Lifestyle: Arts & Fashion

Posted: 28 Aug 2011 01:08 AM PDT

A show of Aboriginal art depicts a community's strong ties with its past and its determination to meet the future head on.

ART is without doubt a reflection of the culture or society that produces it. In the case of Living Art From Ancient Land, however, the links go much deeper.

Each piece of Aboriginal art showcased in this exhibition, produced by the Yolngu artists of Elcho Island, Australia, captures a little piece of the rich history and traditions of their people. The display allows visitors to look at Aboriginal art from a perspective that highlights authenticity and artistic respect.

Situated off the coast of northeast Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory, Elcho is home to a thriving Aboriginal arts centre which has been community-managed since 1992. Elcho Island Arts works with over 200 Yolngu artists, supporting them to create high-quality traditional and contemporary visual art from which they not only derive an income, but also share their culture.

"Each artwork tells of the connection my people have with the lands and the environment," says artist Megan Gurruwirri, who was in Kuala Lumpur recently as her work is being shown in Living Art. "Every piece talks about the lands, the seas, the animals and how they relate to us; about how Creation began, and all the songs that we have sung through the ages."

One of her pieces is a wooden sculpture of a medicine woman, inspired by a real person who used to heal Gurruwirri's community when she was growing up.

Thanks to the tireless efforts of people like Dr Susan Cochrane, manager of Elcho Island Arts and curator of Living Art, the works of Elcho artists are seen not just in other parts of Australia, but around the world.

Dr Cochrane'saim is to raise the visibility of indigenous art to the world community.

"This is living art, by living artists. However, many Aboriginal people (in Australia) live in very remote areas, which makes their art less familiar to the outside world. Meanwhile, the tourist industry has created a very generic and commercial impression of what Aboriginal art is," she explains, adding that learning to appreciate Aboriginal culture is a very important part of the process.

"Their culture is completely different from white culture, and they have been so generous in sharing their art, stories and traditions with us. That is an enormous bridge. So on our side, we need to show our appreciation by highlighting these wonderful elements, and emphasising on authenticity," says Dr Cochrane, who is also a renowned researcher and writer specialising in contemporary Aboriginal and Pacific art.

For all its rich output of artworks, Elcho Island is still relatively remote and isolated from the metropolitan areas of Australia – many of the artists have never been off the island. Perhaps due to this, much of the Yolngu people's ancient traditions have been preserved, and are abundantly visible in their artworks.

The most striking thing about the Elcho artworks is their use of rich, ochre tones. Gurruwirri, who is arts administration officer at Elcho Island Arts, points out that they traditionally paint only with four colours, red, black, white and yellow, and occasionally mix them to produce brown and green. Yet, despite the seemingly-limited colour palette, the bold juxtaposition of hues and dynamic patterns are fascinating.

Equally captivating are the strong ties the works have to the Yolngu people's history. Patterns, colours and motifs, for example, are not just for visual impact; they offer insight into the artist and his clan's history.

Each moiety (one of two clan subdivisions) within the clans of the Yolngu community take ownership of their own motifs, references and colours, based on their individual creation ideas and geographical location. Only members of a particular moiety can use the unique elements in their art, and a custodian ensures the representations respect the clan's traditions.

Furthermore, when the artists paint "clan paintings", works that depict stories specific to a clan, there are certain rules and guidelines which need to be followed.

Artist Peter Datching, who is of the Yirritja moiety, for instance, often focuses on his totem, a crocodile ancestor named Baru. The distinctive elongated diamonds used in his painting Fire Diamond are also specific to his Gumatj clan, and relate to the invention of fire. Oysters, by Linda Namilyal Bopirri, on the other hand, features the oyster shells, which were historically found in her particular clan's lands, while her Witidj Python At Waterhole is based on folktales belonging to her clan.

Within these frameworks, however, there is plenty of room for imagination and interpretation.

"The motifs and patterns may be the same, but each artist approaches them in a completely different way," Dr Cochrane says.

Respecting their ancient artistic traditions does not impede the artists from exploring new ways of creating art.

"When they are not doing clan paintings, the artists are free to use their own ideas," she adds.

As such, they are embracing different media that are not traditionally Aboriginal, and using them to tell unique stories about their heritage, for example, print-making and painting on canvas instead of bark. Several artists, among them Gurruwirri, Mavis Warrngila Ganambarr and Judy Manany, are also extending their tradition of coil weaving to create new forms of soft sculpture, such as a quirky collection of animals woven out of pandanus fibre, bush string, shells and seeds.

For Gurruwirri, the process of marrying her cultural heritage with a constantly evolving modern world is a welcome challenge as it allows her to express not just her own passion but also the stories of her people.

"Art is a very important part of our culture, but it is also very important to the world because it's everywhere. It's not just within our minds, but within our hearts," she says.

■ Living Art From Ancient Land is on at Shalini Ganendra Fine Art@Gallery Residence (No. 8, Lorong 16/7B, Petaling Jaya) until Sept 31. Viewing from 11am to 7pm, Tuesday to Saturday. For more information, call 03-7960 4740 / 03-7958 2175 or go to shaliniganendra.com.

Easy does it

Posted: 28 Aug 2011 01:03 AM PDT

The latest men's collection from Jendela KL offer relaxed and stylish outfits.

HOMEGROWN brand Jendela KL recently showcased a pop-up collection of menswear. Called "Wrap-Unfold", the line combines traditional and contemporary looks.

Using lightweight fabrics and architectural lines, the theme is about the "rebirth of everything tangible and intangible".

Focusing on the brand's core values in design, the outfits are relatively simple with an overall relaxed look.

The collection is divided into Fashion Edge, Pop-Up Batik and All Black. There are 24 outfits altogether, highlighting different styles from sophisticated to artistic.

"We are not presenting the standard suits in this collection, but an adaptation of a stripped down suit that is light and easy," states Faisol Abdullah, designer of Jendela KL. "Looking at world trends, men's fashion is unfolding into a more relaxed setting," adds Faisol.

The collection is about going beyond trends, but with a strong identity as Faisol believes it is every man's right to take an interest in being fashionable.

The pieces consisting of pants, jackets, shirts and sarongs can be worn separately or mixed and matched.

Interesting selections include a bold coloured shirt with an upturned collar and contrast sleeves and back. There is also a tunic top with an asymmetrical hemline.

The shirts are streamlined and pants generally relaxed while the use of linen makes for comfortable, stylish apparel. There are also casual sleeveless shirts that can be worn with or without a jacket.

The collection is in collaboration with Audrey's, a new collection of men's jewellery by Fairuz Kamilan. It is inspired by the late style icon Audrey Hepburn.

Fairuz believes that Audrey's will push boundaries through its stylish designs for men who embrace jewellery to complement any outfit. Fairuz states, "Be it a gift for a loved one or a special piece to be handed down from generation to generation, Audrey's jewellery range has something for every man."

The Audrey's men's collection comprise bold and colourful pieces with a range of precious stones in eye-catching designs. All the pieces are set in 18K white gold and high quality diamonds. Undoubtedly, these accessories will add new elements to one's existing wardrobe.

■ Jendela KL's Wrap-Unfold men's collection, priced from RM250 to RM580, is available at Tenc, Level Three of Pavillion Kuala Lumpur. The Audrey's men's jewellery collection, priced from RM1,500 to RM8,500 is sold at Audrey's, Shangri-La Hotel, Kuala Lumpur.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

Ahad, 28 Ogos 2011