in which Moffatt reveals the place of her youth; in Picturesque Cherbourg we see the Government-established mission, where Moffatt’s family were relocated in the 1920s. The series is a depiction of Aboriginal connection to Country generated through consideration of different aspects of Moffatt’s life. As I Lay Back On My Ancestral Land is a poignant expression of this connection, a proud acknowledgement of her Aboriginality, where Moffatt’s own body is displayed in a series of bold colours tattooed with reflections of the clouds overhead. It was the pull of nature and land that drove me back here… I really am Indigenous to here, there is no denying the powerful ‘pull’ of ‘country’.5
In 2017, the Australia Council is acknowledging the significance of Australia’s first solo Aboriginal artist at the Venice Biennale, by offering artists and curators the opportunity to attend and support the exhibition. For the first time, more than half of the volunteer attendants and team leaders invigilating in the Australian pavilion will be Indigenous. Australia’s participation in the Venice Biennale began in 1954, and since then 34 contemporary visual artists have exhibited, but it wasn’t until 1990 with the iconic Rover Thomas and Trevor Nickolls that Aboriginal artists represented our country at this prestigious event. In 1997, leading curators Brenda L Croft, Hetti Perkins and Victoria Lynn presented Fluent featuring the work of three distinguished artists; Emily Kame Kngwarreye, Yvonne Koolmatrie and Judy Watson and in 2009 Vernon Ah Kee participated in the group show Once Removed. At the most recent iteration in 2015, the celebrated Tjanpi Weavers from Ngaanyatjarra Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (NPY) lands collaborated with Fiona Hall on works commissioned by Natalie King and Djon Mundine for the TarraWarra Biennial 2014: Whisper in My Mask. A First Nations Curators Program is also in development, inviting emerging curators from across Australia to participate in an exchange program in Venice and to spend time visiting each country’s artistic offerings at the Vernissage, the official opening of the Biennale. Witnessing the intensity of Moffatt’s focus and commitment to her creative process, her dedication to creating a new body of work has been a source of inspiration, as has working with Natalie King and
Above: As I lay back on my Ancestral Land, 2013, From the series ‘Spirit Landscapes’, digital print, 128 × 187cm, Edition of 8. Image courtesy of the artist and Roslyn Oxley Gallery, Sydney.
Commissioner Naomi Milgrom.6 The opportunity to research an artist of Moffatt’s calibre, especially from this unique viewpoint, has offered me insights into the many and layered connections throughout her career. It is hard to ignore the sense of pride in seeing an Aboriginal woman assert herself on a global platform and forge her own path. She has continually worked outside of what was expected and her body of work stands alone as a reflection of her many influences and as a document of the time. It is a magnificent illustration of how to engage with the global community and I am honoured to have been a part of the development of MY HORIZON.
ENDNOTES 1 Australia Council announcement of Tracey Moffatt’s 2017 Venice Biennale exhibition, media release, 8 Dec. 2015. 2 See Gael Newton in Anne Gray (ed), Australian art in the National Gallery of Australia, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, 2002. http://artsearch. nga.gov.au/Detail.cfm?IRN=148563<http://artsearch.nga.gov.au/Detail. cfm?IRN=148563> 3 The issue in question was??? 4 Rebecca Harkin-Cross, ‘Tracey Moffatt’s Free Spirit’, The Saturday Paper, 13 Dec. 2014. https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/culture/art/2014/12/13/tracey-moffattsfree-spirit/14183892001355 <https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/culture/ art/2014/12/13/tracey-moffatts-free-spirit/14183892001355> 5 Interview transcript between 2013 Australia Council Visual Arts Award recipient Tracey Moffatt and graduate art students Eileen Abood and Sancintya Simpson, 16 April 2013 http://www.australiacouncil.gov.au/arts-in-daily-life/artist-stories/interviewwith-2013-australia-council-visual-arts-award-recipient-tracey-moffatt/ <http:// www.australiacouncil.gov.au/arts-in-daily-life/artist-stories/interview-with-2013australia-council-visual-arts-award-recipient-tracey-moffatt/> 6 I am very grateful to Natalie King and Naomi Milgrom AO for their warmth and encouragement.
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