Portland Institute Chosen for National Tour of Aboriginal Contemporary Art

Monday, June 08, 2015

Briauna Skye McKizzie, GoLocalPDX Contributor

Tjumpo Tjapanangka, Wati Kutjarra at the Water Site of Mamara. Photo credit: PICA Press Release (Image Cropped)

The Portland Institute for Contemporary Art (PICA) has announced their opening reception for the exhibit No Boundaries: Aboriginal Australian Contemporary Abstract Painting.

Originating from the Nevada Museum of Art in Reno, Nevada, this exhibit is on a major national tour and features the works of renowned Aboriginal painters.

The exhibit features nine contemporary Aboriginal Australian artists and more than seventy-five paintings. These paintings were created between 1992 and 2012 and were inspired by Aboriginal culture and traditions.

These unique works of art are being seen for the first time in the U.S. during this tour around the country in 2015-16.

The artists featured are Warlimpirrnga Tjapaltjarri, Paddy Bedford, Jananggoo Butcher Cherel, Tommy Mitchell, Ngarra, Prince of Wales (Midpul), Billy Joongoora Thomas, Boxer Milner Tjampitjin, and Tjumpo Tjapanangka.

“These painters have gone far beyond the boundaries of their community, their ‘country,’ and the very idea of their work as merely ethnographic. They are simply painters—some of the finest abstract painters this planet has ever seen,” said Dennis Scholl, the owner of the collection.

The reception occurs on June 20th, from 7pm – 9pm. The reception marks the run of the exhibit from June 20th – August 16th.

No Boundaries: Aboriginal Australian Contemporary Abstract Painting, PICA at the Mason Erhman Bldg. Annex, (503) 242 – 1419. Exhibit hours: Thursday – Friday, 12pm – 6:30pm and Saturday – Sunday, 12pm – 4:00pm.

Homepage Photo Credit: PICA Press Release. Painting by Paddy Bedford Merrmerrji, 2004.

Related Slideshow: Oregon Black Pioneers Exhibition Opening at Oregon Historical Society

The Oregon Black Pioneers have partnered with the Oregon Historical Society to present a Community on the Move, an in-depth exhibit about the impact of WWII Shipyards, the Vanport Flood, and urban renewal programs on Portland-area black families and businesses in the 1940s and 50s.

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The state’s premier Black heritage organization is dedicated to illuminating African Americans’ contributions to Oregon’s history through research, publications, exhibits, and community outreach. The organization’s newest exhibition, A Community on the Move, directly builds on two highly successful collaborations with the Oregon Historical Society and reflects the all-volunteer organization’s increasing capacity to create meaningful opportunities for community dialogue and learning.

Launching Tuskegee Victory Ship, 1946

Photo Credit: Oregon Historical Society (image cropped)