Until 24 July, ‘Land Abounds’ at Ngununggula in the Southern Highlands presents new and existing works by leading contemporary Australian artists and brothers Abdul-Rahman Abdullah and Abdul Abdullah together with video works by renowned Indigenous artist Tracey Moffatt AO, who for a long time has been an inspirational influence for the brothers and their art practices.
‘Land Abounds’ draws on collective memory and experience, and our shared histories, exploring how the representation and perpetuation of culture, knowledge and tradition can thrive through storytelling. Two newly commissioned contemplative artworks by Abdul and Abdul-Rahman challenge historical perspectives and power, and partake in dialogue with four video works produced by Moffatt, which examine the nature of representation and stereotyping in cinema.
With a focus on the ‘violence of ownership’ Abdul-Rahman’s Dead Horse installation of a life-sized horse, unbeknown to the viewer at first to be carved from wood, lays motionless on the gallery floor in front of brother Abdul’s 10-metre-wide painting titled Legacy, which draws connection between landscape and the animal that is so familiar to the Southern Highlands – ‘often perceived as trophy of privilege’. “Taking a contemporary perspective on traditional Euro-centric understandings of the landscape, the work retraces the vantage points and sightlines in the Southern Highlands of 19th and 20th century painters like Arthur Streeton and Joseph Lycett,” Abdul’s multi-panel vista of rural Berrima disrupts traditional perspectives of the landscape by superimposing a confronting call to action across the painterly landscape.
On sharing this rare opportunity to exhibit alongside his brother Abdul and their relationship with Moffatt, Abdul-Rahman says, “We overlap in so many different ways, and our work is like an ongoing conversation we’re having about the worlds we’re experiencing. Tracey Moffatt is an iconic figure to both of us. She holds a mirror up to a social landscape that we all understand, exposing the dynamics of power that we consume and enact. The ways in which our works engage and respond to each other creates a multi-layered dialogue that always seems to come back to ideas of perception and power. What dictates our perceptions of the world, how are we perceived and how do we participate in that equation with autonomy.”
‘Land Abounds’ also includes Abdul-Rahman’s installation The Dogs, a pack of three teeth-bearing black canines, also carved in wood, suspended in full flight under the golden glow of crystal chandeliers that hang from the ceiling. In another space Abdul presents a series of large-scale embroidered tapestries of hands titled Breach, Reach, Together 1 and Together 2, which seem to emulate that there is strength in unity. Moffatt’s montage films Love, Doomed, Other and Revolution compose snippets from iconic Hollywood films, telemovies, and arthouse to reveal how “common stereotypes in popular cinema come to inform our collective cultural imagination.”
“As a centre for art and culture in the Southern Highlands, we’re excited to bring three of Australia’s most compelling artists to the region with works that encourage thought and discourse. The opportunity to show Tracey Moffatt alongside the Abdullah brothers allows us to uncover new contexts and unseen connections between the artists’ practices, the exhibition working to reframe pervasive cultural perspectives,” says Director of Ngununggula Megan Monte.
Ngununggula is a newly opened gallery inspired by artist Ben Quilty’s vision to transform a dusty old Dairy into a vibrant hub for art, culture, and community. Situated within the grounds of the historical Retford Park at Bowral in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Ngununggula, meaning ‘belonging’ in the language of the Gundungurra First Nations people, will host an exciting array of year-round exhibitions, artist-led projects, live events, workshops, artist talks, and school programs.
‘Land Abounds’ is open free to the public at Ngununggula from Monday to Sunday, 10am to 4pm.