Ancient Aboriginal art brought to Alice Art Gallery in aid of its artists
Local art gallery helps raise awareness for unique artists.
On a quest to help the unique and culturally rich Aboriginal artists from Central Australia, Angie Spindler created Dreamtime Aboriginal Art, bringing these unique and one-of-a-kind art pieces to South Africa, and for weeks they have been on display at Ruimsig’s Alice Art Gallery.
Angie’s mission to educate, raise awareness and help fund these artists started in 2012, during her first trip to Australia.
“I absolutely fell in love with Aboriginal art – the heritage, story, culture, and absolutely beautiful art that the indigenous people of Australia make,” she recalled.
She started by purchasing a few pieces of art for herself throughout her trips to Australia and back home to South Africa.
“Covid happened in 2020 and I was unable to visit my family in Australia and travelling there since has been impossible,” Angie admitted, sadly.
She tried to purchase more pieces of Aboriginal art in South Africa and was unable to find any.
“I decided that I want to bring that beautiful art to South Africa, to help the artists, and my first shipment arrived this March,” she exclaimed.
Angie imported 22 paintings, hoping to share her love of this unique art with South Africa.
“Alice Art Gallery is the largest and in my opinion one of the most beautiful galleries in Johannesburg. When approaching Alice she was intrigued by the art and has allowed me to exhibit the art for the last three weeks,” she explained.
She continued that everyone who sees the art listens to the stories and likes the abstract, contemporary, and tribal aspects of the art, saying it’s like nothing they have ever seen before.
“It is ‘ethically procured’ meaning I have purchased the art from an Art Centre in Central Australia and imported it. How it works in Australia is, the aboriginal artist will go into the art centre, paint for the day, and on completion of the art, the artist is paid upfront by the art centre for the art. The art centre then distributes the art worldwide,” Angie elaborated.
Abie began painting at the age of 19. She was mentored by her grandmother Kathleen Petyarre, who taught her the methodology of using details and tiny shimmering dotting to create complex optical effects.
According to her, Aboriginals have no written language and use their art to communicate between tribes, and the only way the art is known to be authentic is by having the artist’s biography, a certificate of authenticity, and photos of the artist painting the piece of art that you purchase.
“The Dreamtime is the period in which life was created according to Aboriginal culture. Dreaming is the word used to explain how life came to be; it is the stories and beliefs behind creation. It is called different names in different Aboriginal languages, such as Ngarranggarni, Tjukula Jukurrpa,” she stated.
“We believe that it’s important to support the artists and their communities, and we strive to create long-term relationships based on mutual respect and understanding,” she emphasised.
Angie works with six Aboriginal artists in Australia and has sold one of the 22 beautiful and intricate pieces of art so far. She added that so few South Africans are familiar with the art and through Dreamtime Aboriginal Art she hopes to educate the community.
Readers interested in the art or learning more can follow the link to her website.
