ROCKHOLE DREAMING

Susan and I were at an exhibition called The Land Speaks in the Early Works gallery in South Fremantle, presented by our friends Anna and Arthur from Artija Fine Art when Susan beckoned me over. She’s never used that gesture before - you know: the kinked finger gesture that teachers used?. She had had just fallen in love with a painting and wanted to know if there was enough money in the kitty to buy it. And the answer was yes – so she did. It’s a huge piece – 2m x 1.8m – which glistens and glows in tones that look but aren’t gold. Susan said it reminded her of the golden icons we saw in the orthodox churches of Eastern Europe even though it is absolutely and clearly a piece of indigenous story telling.

Joyce Robin, the artist, is from the tiny Fregon community in APY lands in the north of South Australia. “Tjukurpa” is the central belief system for the Anangu, traditional people of Australia’s central desert. I remember hearing the word for the first time on a tour around Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. It’s about the past, the present and the future, a guide to law and a connection to country, explaining how the world and its features, like rock holes, were created.

https://artitja.com.au/latest-exhibition/

Somewhat to people’s surprise, the painting, now framed, is hanging in the second lounge area, what we call the Stressless Room with its comfortable Norwegian chairs. It’s a large painting in a small room but it fills the space with warmth.


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