Sarah Mitchell: Digesting 50 Thousand Years, and George Hairbrush Tjungurrayi, are two solo exhibitions showcasing the recent works from both artists. Both exhibitions are comprised of a collection of acrylic paintings, each holding vastly different artistic aesthetics and focuses. Mitchell’s works tell the story of white settlement and influence through the representation of diet, whilst Tjungurrayi’s work explores the landscape of the earth and change through time.
This is the second series of paintings that Dublin-born, Sunshine Coast-based Sarah Mitchell, who trained in illustration and printmaking, has completed for FireWorks Gallery. According to the artist, the collection of fifteen works “spans the oldest of meals to native bush fruit, and with white settlement, a quart pot of billy tea boiling on a fire.” Since 2010, Sarah Mitchell has exhibited her limited-edition, hand-coloured lino prints and acrylic paintings in six solo shows for FireWorks Gallery.
The bright, lined works by George Hairbrush Tjungurrayi represent the Tingari story, which features mythical creatures that have travelled across the country and consequently shaped the landscape. Classic Tingari stories are some of the most distinctive designs that have emerged from Central Australia in the last thirty years, and George Hairbrush Tjungurrayi remains one of their most championed artists, particularly for those who love the minimalist sensibilities. The works being exhibited were commissioned last year.
With Mitchell’s works presenting a literal narrative timeline, and Tjungurrayi’s works a little more timeless, the pairing of the two collections was an obvious choice for the curatorial team at FireWorks Gallery.
Exhibition Opening: Saturday 21st May, 1-3pm
Image: . George Hairbrush Tjungurrayi, Tingari (Kiwikurra), 2014, acrylic on linen, 120x240cm
