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Entrance to main gallery at Boomalli

Boomalli is situated opposite a major shopping mall in Leichhardt, which enables interaction with the larger community as they walk past, on their way to or from their car, home or bus stop. The Leichhardt community and the greater inner west is a diverse community and one that is lucky to have such an important art gallery in its midst.

It is astonishingly that governments failed to see the important benefits that Boomalli created in bringing together different language groups within Sydney and New South Wales. A symbolic gesture to allow a permanent home, after four locations, cannot be overlooked, and yet somehow they did. Thankfully, the concerted effort by Boomalli, together with their pro-bono lawyers and dedicated volunteers have secured this current location and building as their permanent home. It should not have been necessary to have another fight.

https://www.boomalli.com.au/exhibitions/

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Boomalli is an incredibly important art gallery to Aboriginal artists, at all stages of their careers, as they do not have to navigate the politics of the non-Indigenous art spaces in Sydney and can be more actively involved in how their work is shown and managed. These tools hand back control to the artists.

Boomalli, Bangarra Dance Theatre and Gadigal Koori radio have all contributed to greater expression for Aboriginal Australians in the wider community and have created an important platform to perform and share their stories, art and music, all very important elements of the Aboriginal communities.

Photo displays the founders of Boomalli in 1979

https://www.boomalli.com.au/

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Deborah Taylor, Gaagal (Sea), Acrylic on canvas

image courtesy of https://www.boomalli.com.au/exhibitions/

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There is a sense of camaraderie with the inclusion of prestigious artists such as Bancroft and Bostock and I am curious to know if other contemporary galleries hang their lesser known artists with their well-established ones.

Urban contemporary Aboriginal art is uniquely exhibited in this gallery. It is not like the more commercial Aboriginal art galleries, who mainly show and sell desert ‘dot’ paintings that dominate the mainstream idea of Aboriginal art. Boomalli symbolises a strong artist community that represent their connection to Country as deeply as the Aboriginal artists living and painting in the Northern Territory.

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Bronwyn Bancroft, The Boundary, Photographic print on german rag

Charmaine Davis, Mountains of Home, Acrylic on canvas

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Images courtesy of https://www.boomalli.com.au/exhibitions/

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This group show features some of the founding artists of Boomalli, for example, Euphemia Bostock and Bronwyn Bancroft, exhibiting paintings and photography, as well as a selection of senior and upcoming artists.

Bronwyn Bancroft, Washpool Creek I, Photographic print on german rag paper.

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‘to strike; to make a mark’

The word Boomalli was created using three different language groups from New South Wales, and means ‘to strike; to make a mark.’

This co-operative art gallery is an important landmark for Aboriginal artists, and this year, 2017, marks the 30 year anniversary since it was founded in 1987. It was established in Chippendale, and is now located in Flood St, Leichhardt. The success of this co-operative is in allowing Aboriginal artist’s control over their exhibitions, from curating their own spaces to determining marketing and sales strategies.

Upon approaching the gallery’s entrance, you may walk past a doorway depicting the Aboriginal flag. This is striking and hints at the art that is in the large open, warehouse gallery space, at the next glass door.

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Aboriginal contemporary urban art

In April I visited Boomalli’s exhibition, Rivers, Mountains, Sea which featured artists from the north coast of New South Wales. The work was displaying individual artist’s relationship to Country using a variety of mediums.

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my approach