Exhibition 'Southern Cross Greets the North Star' @ Gallery 577 ends TODAY

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"Meditation", © 2008 Frank Polson
/Click on image to Enlarge/


PRESS RELEASE

Gallery 577 is honoured to host this significant exhibition, curated by Indigenous Art specialist Peter Los; Southern Cross Greets the North Star.

As the world continues to evolve into a global village, cultural exchanges between indigenous citizens become important as they represent a different style of management of the planet and in time this ideology will be taken more seriously. ‐ Peter Los, June 2011

Peter Los has brought together the work of Indigenous artists from Australia and Canada for the second time in a series of educational forums aimed at admirers of Indigenous art. The first ground‐breaking exhibition, North Star Greets the Southern Cross, was hosted by Timber Village Museum in Blind River, Ontario in July 2010. It is a unique concept to draw parallels between the philosophies and art practices of different Aboriginal cultures, providing a fresh look at ancient legend and its relevance to the contemporary world.

This exhibition showcases works from Woodlands Artists of Northern Ontario and Desert Artists from the Northern Territory. What ties these artists together is a shared passion to communicate the legends passed down to them through their Aboriginal heritage. Art has always been an important element in the tradition of transferring knowledge to the next generations. As custodians, it is an obligation to ensure their knowledge continues. The complex legends, rituals and stories of Aboriginal cultures are mostly inaccessible to the general Western population. What drives these contemporary Indigenous artists to break traditional codes of silence, is a need share their heritage and educate the rest of the world to the needs of this planet. In Aboriginal art, the image is key to the knowledge it represents.

Peter holds a unique position within the international Indigenous Art world. His appreciation for Canadian Aboriginal Art developed while growing up in the Great Lakes region of Northern Ontario, Canada. Then, as an adult, working as a geologist in the deserts of Western Australia, Peter found himself on the frontline of the Australian Aboriginal Art movement. Between Northern Ontario and the Northern Territory, Peter forged strong relationships with many artists now heralded as some of the greatest. These relationships have remained. This series of exhibitions is the culmination of a career devoted to these artists and the promotion of Aboriginal art.

On display will be early works from artists that rose to the top of the Woodlands School of Canadian Indigenous Art, centred on the artists colony of Manitoulin Island in Lake Huron. John Laford, Leland Bell, Conrad Bobiwash and James Simon Mishinibinjima will hang alongside Australian Western Desert artists such as Paddy Fordham, Dick Yuna and Mickey Hall. We are privileged to have Canadian Trade Commissioner Ellen Ruth Zeisler open the exhibition. Gallery 577 invites you to be a part of a unique cultural experience.



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Source: Text & Image: Courtesy of Gallery 577 --


>>> Reference post:
- 'Southern Cross Greets the North Star' by Curator Peter Los
  /August 7th - August 28th 2011/

~ For Press Release presented above click HERE

* The acrylic on canvas in this post: "Meditation", 18"x14", © 2008 Frank Polson