What’s in the Stockroom?

To celebrate 10 years since we started our ‘What’s in the Stockroom?’ newsletter, each week we wander through one of the region’s premiere stockrooms to find out what treasures lay inside.

Alcaston Gallery

This week we visit Melbourne’s Alcaston Gallery, with Gallery Manager Glenn Manson and Senior Curator Adriana Del Medico. Pictured with artworks by Betty Kuntiwa Pumani and Rupert Jack.

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Rona Panangka Rubuntja, Adelaide Crow’s Womens AFL, 2019. Terracotta and underglazes, 33 x 23cm.

“The Hermannsburg Potters are renowned ceramicists and this recent work by potter Rona Panangka Rubuntja depicting an iconic moment in Australian sport is not only a fitting tribute, but a beautifully crafted and hand painted joyous artwork,” says Manson.

Tiger Yaltangki, Malpa Wiru (Good Friends), 2019. Synthetic polymer paint on line, 152 x 198cm.

“Tiger Yaltangki is an exciting artist from the APY Lands who draws inspiration from his traditional Anangu heritage and his avid appreciation for popular culture.

“This bold work fuses depictions of Pitjantjatjara Mamu, cheeky supernatural spirits that derive from traditional Anangu storytelling, together with his love for rock and roll music including AC/DC, Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd, and science fiction television including Doctor Who and The Mighty Boosh.”

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Noŋgirrŋa Marawili, Djapu Design, 2019. Natural earth pigments on bark, 105 x 65cm.

“In my opinion Noŋgirrŋa Marawili is one of the most important and innovative artists working in Australia at the moment. This smaller piece titled Djapu Design is from her solo exhibition in 2019 and aesthetically I love the fluidity of the strong line work that moves with the organic shape and materiality of the bark.”

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Karen Mills, Untitled: Terrain, 2016. Dry pigment and ochre on linen, 153 x 182cm.

“Karen Mills is a thoughtful and considered artist whose practice I have long admired. Her practice investigates themes of identity and memory, and often connection and disconnection with her Aboriginal heritage.

“Painted in hand-made natural dry pigments and ochres, this work was inspired by the landscape of far north South Australia, explored by the artist during a road trip in late 2015. This ethereal painting illustrates intimate observations of her landscape, and the rich history of Indigenous culture pre-colonisation, often hidden beneath layers of sediment formed over thousands of years.”