dis/possession: identity and sense of place

dis/possession displays works drawn entirely from the State Art Collection, centring on the juxtaposition of two significant works by Australian artists: Hans Heysen’s Droving into the light and Mervyn Street’s Bull ride. Painted approximately 100 years apart, each offers a view of rural Australia that reflects the preoccupations of the artist at the time of the work’s production. Street, a Gooniyandi artist from Fitzroy Crossing, worked as a stockman at a time when the impact of the pastoral movement was being fully felt by Western Australian Kimberley Indigenous communities. German-born Heysen lived and worked in the Adelaide Hills during an era in which Australia as a young nation continued to be positioned as a locale of opportunity for colonisation.

Heysen’s and Street’s paintings are accompanied by other works from the Collection to give context to the historical narratives of the time. For the first time, the Gallery is displaying all of its work by Heysen to illustrate this artist’s remarkable career. Heysen’s work is also accompanied by examples of the work of his contemporaries, and the historical tradition which influenced his practice. Including works by George Clausen, Elioth Gruner, Jean-Francois Millet, J M W Turner and Henri van Raalte. Frederick McCubbin’s Down on his luck also returns to display after touring to the National Gallery of Victoria and Geelong Gallery. Street’s work is located in the context of the extraordinary output of Kimberley-based artists from the 1980s onwards. Many of these senior artists were former station workers and their subject matter includes records of station life, including the dark side of European and First Nations encounters, together with the painting of Country. Artists include Ian Abdullah, Nyaparu (William) Gardiner, Queenie (Garagarag) McKenzie, Albert Namatjira, Axel Poignant, Wakartu Cory Surprise and Rover Thomas.

Image credit – Frederick McCubbin Down on his luck 1889. Oil on canvas, 114.5 x 152.5 cm; 145 x 183.5 x 14 cm (framed). The State Art Collection, The Art Gallery of Western Australia. Purchased 1896.