Queensland Art Gallery Presscuttings Book 10 : Record of press coverage, March 1982 - May 1984

The Courier-Mail 8 October 1982 SEVERAL exh ibitions featur ing Oceanic and Aboriginal art make significant contributions to our fes– tive weeks. At lhe Queensland Art Gallery, we have an exhibition of about I00 art i– facts from the important Christensen Collection, on public view for the first time. Ravl.aw incised slip-glazed decorations with one's hands. Thancoupie's pots bear their images - totems and legends - like the earth, sanctified by the ground designs of her people. Thancoupie ought to have been in– cluded in the Australian Crafts exhibi– tion. Is it too late? In spite of the fact that I have seen some exciting works by contemporary Papua New Guineans, the paints by Jacupa came as a surprise. Jac:upa worked as a cleaner at Goro– ka Teachers' College when his talent as an artist was discovered. Since then, he has c11hibitcd quite widely, i eluding Canberra, Sydney and StuttJart. Jacupa creates his own, highly orna– mental images, and has great freshness. He is inspired, of course, by the body decorations of tribal dancers, fauna and nora of his homeland; he makes.up his own stories from his own upcricncc in addi tion to using le-ends. Whereas the Christensen Collection contains works dating back to the early part of this century, some marvellous art by the living can be seen, and is of– fering for sale, in other places. At the Community Arts Centre (I09 Edward St.• 2nd noor), I greatly ad– mired a combined exhibition by Than- · en coupie (the only Aboriginal woman potter) and paintings by Papua Ne111. Guinean Jacupa. Thancoupie's workshop is at Trinity Beach near Cairns. She trained· in CC· ramies at the East Sydney Technical College. He is almost as good as the artists of ancient Mexico. And he is a natural tal- Every one of his paintings is subject– ed to his wonderful power of formalisa– tion, his innate sense for design and col• ors, and his discipline in execution. NGE Since 1972, she ~u held several solo exhibitions (but this ia her Brisbane fint) and has been included in import• ant travelling exhibitions of Australian ceramics. She is represented in national collec– tions in Canberra, Perth and Adelaide. Thancoupie's hand-built stoneware pots have great dignity and warmth. · O n• lnnnc tn °r,ao,t " th,., ,t,a,anlv ,, ) - National Times 10 October to 16 October 1982 GALLER! ES f1., Peter Costello: /\ ~urre:i li,l pl ace~cnt of figures in lands ape is th e central ima~e, with strong pai nt ing and drafl sman. hip. A new c-:>nti dence all ,rn·, hi m to e~pl~rc psychic metaphor likt~ lhe, harlequin . Paddington Ga ll a ~ lln til n.:t. I. Commonwealth in Focu~: I _111 Y.:a_rs of Photographi~ Histor~. Hi, 10ri .111, with or without shutter fever J nd photographers who don·, care a fig fo r history will find common ground in this absorbing dual exhibition whid1 charts the historical development of both a pol itical institu– tio n and an art techn ology. Queensland ·Art Ga llery until Dec 5. Art in Sport: Shoul d you he unaware that Brisbane is the Games capital of tl\~ cosmos, th i sho\\ with some genuinely inh:resting and qui te ea rly photographic record wi ll set you right. Qu eensland Art Gallc:ry un til Oct 17. · Ross Doonan : Photogra ph and instal– ljition humourously c_n min_e the . n'itty gritty of beach li fe 1n " Vi ew wllh a Ro 1111", One Fl at unt il Oct 17. Centr31 Australian Imagery: Sensitively and thought fu lly e,c.:ut cd photograph s of Au,tra lia\ great heart. Cleverly pro– du ced and cx hihitcd, lo max im ise the \'i sual impact and at mosphere. /\t lmag- r · ia lkrv ii Cl 14. ,'