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Judy Watson Judy Watson is a Waanyi artist from north-east Queensland who was born in Judy Watson Judy Watson is a Waanyi artist from north-east Queensland who was born in

Judy Watson Judy Watson is a Waanyi artist from north-east Queensland who was born in - PowerPoint Presentation

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Judy Watson Judy Watson is a Waanyi artist from north-east Queensland who was born in - PPT Presentation

Judy Watson Judy Watson is a Waanyi artist from northeast Queensland who was born in Mundubbera Queensland in 1959 Her multidisciplinary art practice includes printmaking painting sculpture moving image and installation ID: 771888

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Judy Watson Judy Watson is a Waanyi artist from north-east Queensland who was born in Mundubbera, Queensland, in 1959. Her multidisciplinary art practice includes print-making, painting, sculpture, moving image and installation. Her work is multilayered and challenges the past through research, by examining collections of Australian Aboriginal cultural material held in collections in Australia and around the world. Watson also draws on her ancestors and their ongoing connection to Country. Did you know? Watson often works on the floor to produce her distinctive stained canvas. Judy Watson, Waanyi people, Queensland, born 1959, Mundubbera, Queensland, spine and teeth (mundirri banga mayi) , 2019, Brisbane, synthetic polymer paint, graphite on canvas, 262.5 x 181.0 cm; Acquisition through Tarnanthi: Festival of Contemporary Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art supported by BHP 2019, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, © Judy Watson/Copyright Agency, photo: Carl Warner.

‘When people fly over the country, they see the country through Aboriginal eyes. I think that has changed people’s perception of Aboriginal art … I try to paint the land from above and beneath to integrate the body with Country.’Judy Watson quoted by Ben Holgate in ‘Beneath the Earth’, The Weekend Australian, 24–25 February 2001, p. 11

string over water (alkurrji kingkarri wanami) explores water and its many guises. Over a canvas painted in varying tones of blue and white, Watson includes renderings of intertwined handmade string. Since time immemorial, Aboriginal people have made string from human hair, as well as other natural fibres, to create nets, baskets and other cultural objects. After viewing cultural objects twined with human hair and from her own family’s Waanyi Country, held in museum collections across the world, Watson noted that these items could have included her great-grandmother’s hair. As a result, the inclusion of string has become an ongoing motif in Watson’s oeuvre to express the life force that continues to resonate within cultural objects even after they have been displaced from their people and placed in institutions. The string depicted in string over water (alkurrji kingkarri wanami) was handmade by Watson. She continuously rolled the fibres on her leg, collecting the oil and cells from her skin, which assisted in binding the threads together. - Gloria Strzelecki, Assistant Curator, Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Judy Watson, Waanyi people, Queensland, born 1959, Mundubbera, Queensland, string over water (alkurrji kingkarri wanami) , 2019, Brisbane, synthetic polymer paint, graphite, pastel, watercolour pencil on canvas, 261.0 x 180.5 cm; Acquisition through Tarnanthi: Festival of Contemporary Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art supported by BHP 2019, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, © Judy Watson/Copyright Agency, photo: Carl Warner. Judy Watson

Watson often depicts natural or organic objects. What natural materials can you see in her work? Collect natural found objects such as leaves and twigs. Create rubbings (frottage) and stipple paint around the objects like a stencil. Using a long sheet of paper, make a collaborative work of art as a class, with each student adding their frottage and stencils to the composition. Find shadows cast outside from tree branches and shrubs. Trace around these shadows using chalk or redraw them on paper. Create a pattern using these shadow shapes. Paint fabric with sun dyes (or use other light-sensitive materials). Lay different objects found in nature over the top. Leave your fabric in the sun and see what shapes emerge. Tip: Sunprint paper can be found in art supply shops. Early Years and PrimaryThe Natural Environment Judy Watson, Waanyi people, Queensland, born 1959, Mundubbera, Queensland, spine and teeth (mundirri banga mayi) , 2019, Brisbane, synthetic polymer paint, graphite on canvas, 262.5 x 181.0 cm; Acquisition through Tarnanthi: Festival of Contemporary Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art supported by BHP 2019, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, © Judy Watson/Copyright Agency, photo: Carl Warner.

Look closely at Watson’s string over water (alkurrji kingkarri wanami) . What words come to mind when looking at this work? Create a pose with your body that simulates the movement depicted in string over water (alkurrji kingkarri wanami). In her work, Watson explores ecological issues such as water sustainability. Investigate ways you can save water in your household or school. Experiment with watercolour or ink washes. Allow the paint to dry and continue to add layers to your paper. Use these experiments as backgrounds for your own pen and ink drawings about a place that is special to you. Transform a piece of string into a drawing tool – for example, tie knots, attach other pieces of string or fray the ends. Dip your tool into ink and move your string over a sheet of paper. How do your marks differ from those made by others in your class? PrimaryMovement and materiality Judy Watson, Waanyi people, Queensland, born 1959, Mundubbera, Queensland, string over water (alkurrji kingkarri wanami) , 2019, Brisbane, synthetic polymer paint, graphite, pastel, watercolour pencil on canvas, 261.0 x 180.5 cm; Acquisition through Tarnanthi: Festival of Contemporary Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art supported by BHP 2019, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, © Judy Watson/Copyright Agency, photo: Carl Warner.

Primary Natural fibres The making of string and nets from natural fibres is a recurring theme in Watson’s work and can be seen in string over water (alkurrji kingkarri wanami), 2019. Research how string can be made from natural fibres. Experiment with making your own string from grasses and other found materials.‘This use of fibre and water as the conduit for catching fish evokes ideas of sustenance, family, culture, survival.’ – Judy WatsonJudy Watson’s cast net, 1990, references the fishing nets used by Aboriginal people living along the Brisbane River and surrounding region. Research traditional fishing practices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples from different regions across Australia. Explore the different designs of nets, how they were used and what animals they have been created to catch. Look at other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists who have used natural fibres in their works of art, such as Yvonne Koolmatrie and the Tjanpi Desert Weavers. Judy Watson, Waanyi people, Queensland, born 1959, Mundubbera, Queensland, cast net , 1990, Brisbane, powder pigments on canvas, 176.5 x 136.5 cm; Moët & Chandon Art Acquisition Fund 1993, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, © Judy Watson/Copyright Agency.

‘My work is often veiled with objects encoded and hidden, slowly coming to the surface. Making the work and viewing it is like an archaeology of site and memory.’ Judy Watson, 2003, cited in Sunday Morning, Radio National, 15 June 2003

spine and teeth (mundirri banga mayi) depicts the bunya pine tree. A leaf ‘spine’ from the tree runs the length of the left side of the canvas. Painted with red ochre are the edible nuts, which when boiled turn the water red and are a source of food and drink for Aboriginal people. Watson uses the bunya pine as a symbol to denote the strength and resilience of Aboriginal people. Watson has noted previously that ‘Blue is the colour of memory and is associated with water; it washes over me. Waanyi people are known as “running water people” because of the inherent quality of the water in their country’. The blue palettes of this painting and string over water (alkurrji kingkarri wanami) appear like manuscripts in which layers of paint and markings are apparent on and beneath the surface while also leaching through the canvas onto the reverse. - Gloria Strzelecki, Assistant Curator, Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art  Judy Watson, Waanyi people, Queensland, born 1959, Mundubbera, Queensland, spine and teeth (mundirri banga mayi), 2019, Brisbane, synthetic polymer paint, graphite on canvas, 262.5 x 181.0 cm; Acquisition through Tarnanthi: Festival of Contemporary Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art supported by BHP 2019, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, © Judy Watson/Copyright Agency, photo: Carl Warner.

A major influence on Judy Watson has been visiting her grandmother’s Country. Watson’s depiction of Country is highly personal and suggests layers of physical and spiritual events across time. In spine and teeth (mundirri banga mayi), Watson has used the bunya pine as a symbol to denote the strength and resilience of Aboriginal people. Research the properties and suggest what characteristics of the bunya pine relate to the strength and resilience of Aboriginal people. What other symbolic representations can you identify in Watson’s work? Watson’s work is multilayered, both physically and conceptually. Experiment with mono-printing techniques. Cover a sheet of acetate or plastic in ink. Draw or place different materials such as string, lace and leaves onto the sheet. Remove the objects and take an impression of this composition by pressing paper onto the surface. Trial layering your prints by repeating this process with different colours and textures.Create a work of art that relates to your history or a memory of a place. Use symbols to reference these memories and layer your imagery to suggest the passing of time. Watson often uses projectors to transfer imagery onto her painterly backgrounds. Make observational drawings of your environment. Photograph your work. Project these sketches onto a canvas. Enlarging your sketches will distort your original images. Add to your canvas with stenciling or spontaneous mark-making. SecondaryPlace and Country

‘I listen and hear those words a hundred years away that is my Grandmother’s Mother’s Country it seeps down through blood and memory and soaks into the ground’Judy Watson, artist statement, Wiyana/Perisferia (Periphery) exhibition catalogue, Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Co-operative, Sydney, 1993, p. 30.

Images of spines and backbones have been a recurring theme in Watson’s work and are symbolic of the Aboriginal women who are considered the backbones of culture. This also references her connection with her grandmother who passed down the knowledge to her family. Who is an inspirational woman in your life? What things have you learnt from this person? What are some symbols that could represent this person? Create a work of art that celebrates a woman you admire. Use symbols to tell the story of her strength and resilience. Secondary Connection to Strong Women Judy Watson, Waanyi people, Queensland, born 1959, Mundubbera, Queensland, red rock , from the portfolio Crossroads: Millennium Portfolio of Australian Aboriginal Artists , 1998, printed by Fred Genis, published 1999 by 21C, Sydney, colour lithograph on paper, 56.0 x 76.2 cm (image), 57.2 x 76.2 cm (sheet); Gift of Leo Christie through the Art Gallery of South Australia Foundation 2015. Donated through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, © Judy Watson/Copyright Agency

‘Watson is a collector of imagery, of photographs, drawings and studies she has made of objects found in various national and international collections, which offer historical inquiry, re-contextualisation and critique of the Eurocentric museum systemsthat removed and continue to hold our objects and old people, the human remains of ourancestors.’ Katina Davidson, Assistant Curator, Indigenous Australian Art, Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Artin ‘Judy Watson’, Tarnanthi, AGSA, 2019, p. 132.

Judy Watson, Waanyi people, Queensland, born 1959, Mundubbera, Queensland, angels in the dust , 1991, Sydney, lithograph on oriental paper, 29.0 x 54.2 cm (image, irreg.), 56.6 x 76.6 cm (sheet - paper mount); Print Council of Australia 25th Anniversary Print Commission 1991, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, © Judy Watson/Copyright Agency.

Judy Watson uses research as part of her artistic practice to uncover hidden histories about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. She has used archived documents in her work and visited the Queensland State Archives to access files about her grandmother, including official documents about Aboriginal people collected in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Research how the rights and freedoms of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia have changed over time. Is there something you discovered which you didn’t know before? Tip: Use Trove as a research tool. Secondary Research and archives

Judy Watson, Waanyi people, Queensland, born 1959, Mundubbera, Queensland, strung up/strung out , 1993, printed by Theo Tremblay, Studio One, Canberra, lithograph on paper, 76.5 x 91.9 cm (sheet); David Murray Bequest Fund 1999, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, © Judy Watson/Copyright Agency.

Books and Articles Alyssa Betts and Rosanna Ryan, ’ GOMA turns 10: The story behind Tow Row, Judy Watson's bronze fishing net sculpture’, ABC News, 2 December 2016https://ab.co/2ljdJXy ‘Judy Watson’, Milani Gallery http://bit.ly/2niQFsl Websites‘Judy Watson, Unsettled: Stories Within’, National Museum Australiahttp://bit.ly/2mM0aQG ‘Judy Watson’, Art Gallery of NSW https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/collection/artists/watson-judy/‘Landscapes: Judy Watson’, National Gallery of Australia, https://nga.gov.au/landscapes/wat.htm‘Learning: Judy Watson, Tow Row, 2016’, QAGOMA https://learning.qagoma.qld.gov.au/artworks/tow-row/‘Introducing Judy Watson’, TATE http://bit.ly/2mLG8Ws Resources Videos Judy Watson – 'Artists are Strange Creatures' | Artist Interview | TateShots http://bit.ly/2mNFojA ‘Conversation with Judy Watson’, 40 Years, IMA, http://bit.ly/2njMzjK ‘Judy Watson introduces her woven net bronze sculpture 'tow row’, QAGOMA http://bit.ly/2liHjwi ‘Judy Watson – blood language’, James C Sourris AM Collection https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cB-3I6USq54