Ninbella Gallery

CASTE COLLECTION

EXHIBITION

26 June – 17 July
Ninbella Gallery | 19a Byron Street | Bangalow
10 am – 3 pm MON – SATURDAY
11 am – 3 pm SUNDAY

out of hours by appointment
0429 357 274

*respectful social distancing applies*

KONSTANTINA “CASTE COLLECTION” 2020

Kate Constantine
The Caste Collection is a series of works inspired by the unfair treatment of Aboriginal people of mixed heritage to diminish their persuasiveness in debate about racial issues in Australia. Each canvas is divided into fractions or portions of white(ness) and black(ness):
one half, one third, one quarter, one sixth and so on.

This is my personal response as an Aboriginal woman, a Koori, a proud Gadigal mother and advocate for constitutional change. It is meant to reflect the stupidity, bigotry and racism that tries to diminish Aboriginal culture in Australia by this notion of diluting the amount of black or ‘Blackness’ in we humans. The collection is hugely inspired by Andrew Bolt and his insatiable need to try and call out Bruce Pascoe (amongst many others), a widely successful Black Australian of scholarly merit and award, as less than Aboriginal because of his “diluted” heritage. Unfortunately for Bolt and people of his ilk, the attention brought about by the discussion only further reinforces the resolve of those in question and their Aboriginal Brothers and Sisters. No dilution of Black is possible.
This Collection is made up of three distinct groups of work.

The first are Black and White to represent the black and white ancestry of an individual. The coloured dots are made of ‘skin tonal colours’ identified by paint company Matisse. These different skin colours represent the supposed ‘dilution’ or
perceived imperfection in both the black person and the white.

As “they” (whoever “they” are) say, nothing is ever simply just Black and White.
The second have been painted in panels of black and natural ochre and pigments. The works produced in this group represent the natural world and indeed how obtuse it is to nominate an amount of Black in that natural world. It cannot be a “part” thereof, it just doesn’t work, yet at some level it does work to include Black. In this group I hope to provide pause and reflection on whether or not black is or is not obtuse to the canvas and its natural inhabitants painted atop or if indeed I should have included slices of white?

The third are deliciously simple. Each canvas is coloured in local ochres and pigments to illustrate how harmonious nature is when at one with its creator, mother Earth.

NINBELLA is contemporary Australian aboriginal art, contemporary international and local art, sculpture, cultural gift-ware
+ fair and ethical trade.

For over 12 years Ninbella has specialized in Contemporary Australian Aboriginal Art and represents artists some of who are descendants of the Bundjalung, Kamilaroi, Guntijamara, Dharawal, Anangu, Pitjantjatjara, Yankunytjatjara, Arrernte and Warumungu tribes, amongst others.

We work directly with wholly owned Aboriginal community art centres in Central Australia including, Ampilatwatja, Yuendumu and Mutitjulu and we are an exclusive Australian Gallery for the Pwerle family. Ninbella is a member of the Australian and New Zealand Fair Trade Association.

Ninbella represents incredibly talented and award-winning local artists, indigenous and non-indigenous: Niah Mcleod (Paddington Art Prize 2017), Nelly Napananga Patterson, Uncle Magpie, Warun Kurun, Vlad Kolas (Northern Rivers Portrait prize 2014), Hilary Herrmann, Lae Oldmeadow (Border Prize 2015), Gatya Kelly, Bianca Dodd Gardiner, Rodney Black + more.