ARTWORK STORY
The Black Ballerina is one of a series. It is a special painting to me because the first one I ever did… well, I burned it. I burned it as a protest.
A short film was later made about it by the journalist and activist, Mungo McCallum, and his wife Jenny. They filmed it in front of my museum and art gallery, Black Fella’s Dreaming, in Bangalow in 2005. The protest is followed by an interview with Mungo McCallum and can now be found on YouTube.
When you say the words “The Aboriginal Ballerina”, you realise they don’t quite sound right. How many Aboriginal ballerinas do you know?
I say self-determination will truly be taking place when we do see Aboriginal ballerinas, and lots of them.
Some say this painting is satirical. It is true that I often turn things around, but this painting is not satire. It is simply asking: in Sydney, how many scholarships are given to study dance?
Our dance groups are highly professional, yet why are they not given more support emotionally and financially? Our professional organisations are always begging for more money. Why?
If governments really want to close the gap, they should invest in the organisations that are already doing the work. Many grassroots organisations struggle to survive because of a lack of funding. The failure of our society to produce wonderful Aboriginal ballerinas is society’s problem. It reflects a lack of care for the very Indigenous culture this society took over.
I placed the Sydney Opera House in the background to mark the landmark of Sydney. How many young Aboriginal girls have ever dreamed of dancing at the Sydney Opera House? Are dreams important to young Aboriginal girls?
I hope this series of paintings inspires young Aboriginal girls to study dance!
ARTWORK STORY
The Black Ballerina is one of a series. It is a special painting to me because the first one I ever did… well, I burned it. I burned it as a protest.
A short film was later made about it by the journalist and activist, Mungo McCallum, and his wife Jenny. They filmed it in front of my museum and art gallery, Black Fella’s Dreaming, in Bangalow in 2005. The protest is followed by an interview with Mungo McCallum and can now be found on YouTube.
When you say the words “The Aboriginal Ballerina”, you realise they don’t quite sound right. How many Aboriginal ballerinas do you know?
I say self-determination will truly be taking place when we do see Aboriginal ballerinas, and lots of them.
Some say this painting is satirical. It is true that I often turn things around, but this painting is not satire. It is simply asking: in Sydney, how many scholarships are given to study dance?
Our dance groups are highly professional, yet why are they not given more support emotionally and financially? Our professional organisations are always begging for more money. Why?
If governments really want to close the gap, they should invest in the organisations that are already doing the work. Many grassroots organisations struggle to survive because of a lack of funding. The failure of our society to produce wonderful Aboriginal ballerinas is society’s problem. It reflects a lack of care for the very Indigenous culture this society took over.
I placed the Sydney Opera House in the background to mark the landmark of Sydney. How many young Aboriginal girls have ever dreamed of dancing at the Sydney Opera House? Are dreams important to young Aboriginal girls?
I hope this series of paintings inspires young Aboriginal girls to study dance!
