Portraits from The Movement 1978 2003
Gosford Regional Art Gallery
26 May 22 July 2007
PRESS RELEASE 9 May 2007
Photographs of Seminal Significance to the Aboriginal Movement
Juno Gemes Exhibits at Gosford Regional Gallery from 25 May
On the Eve of the 40th Anniversary of the 1967 Referendum Proof - Portraits from the Movement by Juno Gemes will be opened at Gosford Regional Gallery by Indigenous Historian John Maynard and Founder of Link Up Oomera Edwards.
Photographer Juno Gemes will exhibit her unique collection of black and white photographs of Aboriginal people documenting events and people over the past 30 years that have been of seminal significance to their empowerment. They will be exhibited at Gosford Regional Art Gallery from 25 May until 22nd July 2007.
A highly successful international and local touring exhibition, the link to Juno Gemes' website where the photographs are on display with catalogue essays pointing out the significance of her work is www.junogemes.com.
Juno’s work is motivated by the desire to foster cultural respect for Aboriginal people, and promote Aboriginal culture and ideas that are of value to mainstream Australia. Her work is proof that an Aboriginal Movement for cultural respect existed. It is a visual history of this from her perspective.
Juno covered events in Northern Territory (e.g. the handing back of Uluru 1985); Alice Springs (a huge gathering of traditional people for ceremony in 2000 when a smoking ceremony by Uncle Max Stewart was performed to welcome back all those who had been stolen from their families); Central Australia (travel with aboriginal artists e.g. early Papunya painters); Mornington Island (working for 2 years with famous touring islander dancers); Brisbane (first national land rights action in 2000 on the eve of the Commonwealth Games); country NSW (significant community/political events e.g. debate about the Green Paper draft of Aboriginal Land Rights Legislation and documenting the famous Les Coe Memorial Football Match at Cowra); Sydney, (Redfern 1978 - the NADOC Day of Settlement - celebrated in a street fair in Redfern). There are also many portraits of inspirational figures from Aboriginal culture and politics e.g. Mum Shirl (Mrs Shirley Smith), Professor Marcia Langton, Gary Foley, Charles (Kumajay) Perkins, Wandjuk Marika, Ernie Dingo.
Juno has wonderful support from members of the Aboriginal community throughout Australia and his highly regarded by historians and art historians for the work she has done photographically to document key events in their history.
“In Gemes images of protest and survival can be found an important part of the visual history of Aboriginal Australia in the late twentieth century.” ~ David Hansen, Art & Australia
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