Supernatural: "Watching Us" COA Lockhart River Art Gang Indigenous Art: Family, Community and Spirituality Start Price USD 333,000.00 Current Price USD 333,000.00 Time Left - Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Saturday, November 15, 2008 End Time Tuesday, November 25, 2008 Location Mackay, QLD See more about 'Supernatural: "Watching Us" COA Lockhart River Art Gang' Description   "Watching Us" was painted in 2007 by Fiona Omeenyo, a member of the Lockhart River Art Gang, an Indigenous art initiative originating in the remote Lockhart River Aboriginal community on Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland, Australia.  Fiona is one of the Lockhart River artists who have had successful solo exhibitions and has established herself as a recognized individual artist both in Australia and internationally.  Her art featured with other members' in the exhibition 'Our Way: Contemporary Aboriginal Art from Lockhart River' (5 May - 1 July 2007), shown at the University of Queensland Art Museum (Australia), the James and Mary Emelia Mayne Centre (USA), and in Singapore. Dr Sally Butler (Curator and Lecturer in Art History at the University of Queensland) describes the art produced by the Lockhart River Art Gang as "deeply traditional in that it is exclusively about their community", and adds, "However, their mode of expressing cultural traditions and contemporary community life in visual art is a departure from conventional community-based Australian indigenous art" (Butler, 2007). The Quinkans are a recurring visual motif in Lockhart River contemporary art.  The Quinkan figures are a distinctive feature of the rock-art sites located to the south of the Lockhart River and define the community's ancient sense of spirituality.  The northern extremities of Quinkan rock-art sites lie relatively close to Fiona Omeenyo's Umpila country, suggesting why stylistic conventions of Quinkan figures dominate her art.  Rock-art conventions used by Omeenyo include the unusual head form lacking any features apart from eyes and the use of inversion to denote the spiritual realm or previous generations of her family.  "Watching Us" features the use of inverted figures for that purpose. Omeenyo is skilled in conveying how the past is embedded in the present.  Figure compositions merge upright figures with their inverted counterparts, suggesting how past generations and ancestors live on amid those of the present.  Omeenyo also uses a mode of superimposition technique, encouraging figures from 'Before Time' to emerge through the transparent screen of time enveloping them (Butler, 2007:26-27 Our Way: Contemporary Aboriginal Art from Lockhart River book, and text panels from the Our Way: Contemporary Aboriginal Art from Lockhart River art exhibition in 2007). This 'transparent screen of time' is visible in "Watching Us", appearing as a wavy blue line with a cream and light blue background behind the inverted ancestor figures.  The painting is multi-layered, giving a very real impression of the spiritual world and the intertwining of the traditional cultural values of family, community and spirituality represented by the figures.  The painting "Watching Us", painted by Fiona Omeenyo in 2007, measures 3ft 3in x 4ft 5in (96cm x 133cm).  The painting is unsigned because for many Aboriginal people in many areas of Australia it is considered culturally inappropriate to sign their art.  However a genuine Certificate of Authenticity issued by the Lockhart River Aboriginal Community Arts and Cultural Centre accompanies the painting.  The Certificate of Authenticity has a photo of the artist, Fiona Omeenyo, printed on the Certificate, as well as a photo of the painting, to prove that the painting is her work. The painting is in new condition and is unframed.  The artist has allowed 2 inches (50mm) of canvas around the border of the painting to allow room for stretching and framing.  The price is US$333,000. Preferred method of payment is for funds to be paid into my bank account. Shipping may take up to 15 business days after receipt of all payment into my account.  Shipping will be Airmail. The painting will be insured during shipping and will be packed securely. Place a Bid!