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Indepth Arts News: "More than Meets the Eye: Wayne Quilliam" 2007-08-23 until 2007-09-17 Gallery 15W Melbourne, , AU Australia
It’s a school morning and a group of children are racing along the beach to see who will arrive first at the small fibro hut in the school grounds. This makeshift shed will provide them with fresh fruit and healthy food to kick start their day and is one many programs designed and implemented at a local level to assist the
youth.
‘More than meets the Eye’ is a no holds barred series of documentary style images by Aboriginal photographer Wayne Quilliam. Quilliam’s vision is replete, with irreverent metaphor exploring spirituality and reality in a world that continues to battle between traditional culture and the 21
st century. This work visually explores the disasters and triumphs of modern Aboriginal society and encourages interactive discussion relating to all areas of Indigenous culture and life.
This collection is a constantly evolving narrative of life in rural, remote and urban communities specifically revolving around the issues of health and wellbeing. Much is written about the facts and figures, the reality of surviving and finding the means to pursue a sustainable lifestyle is the ‘constant’ factor in the strength
of individuals to make the best of difficult situations.
When developing this work, Wayne made the conscience decision to immerse himself into every situation and experience the ‘real’ moments shown in the images. “I have spent time in drug dens in Redfern, town camps in Alice Springs and the Diner Plain in Halls Creek and never at any time felt threatened or
worried, if anything the people I was involved in welcomed the opportunity to have their situations documented. The open and frank nature of our ‘Mob’ in every corner of the country to find a better life gives me hope our culture is alive and strong and if this exhibition can help in any small way it will be worth it. I
would like to thank my wife Jodie for her understanding; it must be difficult for many non-indigenous people to contemplate the nature of this work and the reasoning behind it. I must also thank Kim and Olivia at Art for a Cause and their unwavering support in both exhibitions and the team at Oxfam for their vision”.
ART FOR A CAUSE – ART THAT FURTHERS CAUSE RELATED INITIATIVES
View more of Quilliam's work in his Portfolio at absolutearts.com IMAGE
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As the procession of old holdens and troopies missing doors, windows and bonnets emerge from the Tanamai Desert along the Canning Stock route on their fortnightly pension day pilgrimage into Halls Creek, an old Aboriginal woman sits cross-legged in the shelter of an upturned Toyota patting her flea-bitten
companion who will provide her with protection from the alcohol-fuelled violence she knows is coming. For more than 5 years this rusting hulk has provided shelter against the harsh sun and sand storms but not the heart breaking sights she has encountered. Her darkened sunken eyes have the thousand-yard stare
of a woman who has experienced too much of life’s trauma, in particular the exclusion from her community after the sudden death of her husband.
Wayne Quilliam has been a Premiere Portfolio Artist at absolutearts.com since 2001.
