‘Artists of the North Country: Arnhem Land and Beyond’

 

An exhibition of artworks from what is recognised as the world’s oldest continuous living culture is showing at Mitchell Fine Art in Fortitude Valley Brisbane until 22nd July.

Arnhem Land is located in the north-eastern corner of the Northern Territory and is a vast, unspoiled wilderness area that has deep ties to Australia’s First Nations people.

The area covers about 97,000 km and is around 500km from the nearest capital city. The strong cultural heritage of this region is reflected in the quality and content of the Aboriginal art produced by its people.

Arnhem Land is said to be the home of the oldest continuously living cultures in the world, with a diversity of different languages, customs, and laws.

There is a storytelling tradition which is more than 60,000 years old. Much of the Arnhem Land’s population live on small outstations on their traditional homelands and the area remains one of the largest parcels of Aboriginal-owned land in Australia.

Artists of the North Country brings together a collection of works gathered over the past four decades. The exhibition features bark paintings, hollow log memorial poles, works on paper and paintings.

Each item depicts creation events and stories of deep spiritual and cultural importance to the artist. In a culture with no written language, these stories are passed down from generation to generation through dance, ceremony, and art.

These works have been collected and held in a private collection since the early 1980s and this is the first time they have been offered on the market.

Mitchell Fine Art is located at 86 Arthur St in Fortitude Valley Brisbane.

The Gallery is open is open 6 days a week: Monday to Friday 10am – 5.30pm and Saturday 10am – 5pm, with onsite parking available.

Art enthusiasts can also follow/like the gallery on Facebook and Instagram or sign up to the mailing list to receive updates on exhibitions and events.

To view the exhibition online visit www.mitchellfineartgallery.com