From Sharne Wolff…
You might not be familiar with Wayne Quilliam’s name but there’s a good chance you’ve seen his photographs in the media. He’s a previous winner of the National NAIDOC Artist of the Year and has been acknowledged with awards for his photographic work on the National Apology and the Redfern Riots. Quilliam’s latest exhibition at Tali Gallery draws on three series of his artistic photographs recently exhibited in Havana, Cuba.
Lowanna meaning ‘beautiful woman’ uses the human form as its subject. Using various techniques of body painting and image layering, Quilliam seamlessly blends his nude subjects with their earthly environments. Towindri (‘where we walk’) captures images of ‘country’ focusing on detailed patterns and textures of the landscape to draw attention to the importance of the land. The third series, Ceremony has evolved from the artist’s travels to indigenous festivals all over Australia and communicates the significance of ceremonies as places of cultural information sharing and preservation. Quilliam’s photography reflects the holistic view of his practice as much of his time is spent running workshops, teaching in schools and Universities and travelling overseas where he has worked in documenting Indigenous groups in Cuba, Mexico, Bolivia, Indonesia and Laos amongst others. His photographs reflect the artist’s strong belief in the power of the image.
Until June 20
Tali Gallery, Rozelle
Pic: Wayne Quilliam, Lowanna. Digital photograph on archival metallic paper. Courtesy the artist and Tali Gallery.
