Perc Tucker Regional Gallery

Suluni Vakamau Traditional female wedding attire/set, Three-piece set made by Nainasa Kacimaiwai Nayau village, Lau Province, acquired from the makers at the Melanesian Arts and Culture Festival, Fiji, 2006.
Mannequin dressed by Jiowana Dau Miles.
On loan from the collection of Dr Susan Cochrane.

TALKING TAPA: PASIFIKA BARK CLOTH IN QUEENSLAND
23 October until 3 December 2009

Talking Tapa: Pasifika Bark Cloth in Queensland showcases the diversity of Pacific Islander cultural practices, heritage and visual iconography through beaten bark cloth or tapa, which is mainly made from the paper mulberry tree inner bark.

Tapa is synonymous with the Pacific Islands. With the increasing number of Pacific Islander peoples coming to live in Queensland it now appears regularly in meeting halls, at performances, weddings and funerals and in the homes of these relatively new migrants to our shores.

In the exhibition, Fijian wedding outfits vie with Papuan New Guinean ceremonial skirts and cloaks and unusual tapa clothing from Wallis and Futuna. Very large Tongan pieces serve many functions and have been passed from family to family, depending on needs with the Pacific Diaspora. Loincloths and headdresses from the Solomon Islands and bark cloth lengths from Erromongo, Vanuatu remind us of those ‘blackbirded’ labour recruits of yesteryear, whose descendants now form a significant community in Queensland.

While most tapa is made from the inner bark (bast) of the paper mulberry tree, fig and breadfruit are also represented in this exhibition. The oldest bark cloth in the show is from Futuna Island and dates from the 1860s, whilst the latest was acquired in the Solomons in September 2008. Tapa decoration draws on clan and family patterning, the spirit world, the plant, bird, animal and fish kingdoms, abstract and geometric designs, as well as historical events and representations.

Taking Tapa offers an opportunity to view traditional and contemporary Pasifika design and to learn more about Australia’s Pacific neighbours and migrant communities. There is a comprehensive 88 page full-colour catalogue and extensive didactic panels that draw on the cultural knowledge of Pasifika communities and scholarly research to place each work in its social and historical context.

Talking Tapa is a national travelling exhibition presented by Brisbane Multicultural Arts Centre, curated by Joan G Winter and toured by Museum and Gallery Services Queensland. This exhibition is supported by Visions of Australia, an Australian Government Program supporting touring exhibitions by providing funding assistance for the development and touring of Australian cultural material across Australia. This project is also proudly funded by Queensland Government’s Gambling Community Benefit Fund and Brisbane City Council.

Tali Dunnage-Burke, Rebels and Tattoos #2, digital image.

CULTURE IN THE MIX
JAMES COOK UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF CREATIVE ARTS GRADUATE EXHIBITION
12 until 22 November 2009

James Cook University School of Creative Arts presents Culture in the Mix, work from its first graduating year of Bachelor of New Media Arts.

A cutting edge display of screen, print and web based media combining the best of the degree’s five fresh new media disciplines: digital visual arts, digital photography, new media design, digital sound and multimedia performance.

The latest generation of digital arts practitioners challenge the traditions of gallery exposition, and lay the foundation for future North Queensland new media artists.

More works from the Talking Tapa: Pasifika Bark Cloth in Queensland.

More works from the Talking Tapa: Pasifika Bark Cloth in Queensland.

K Valenti, Trippin, 2009

ARTISTS IN SCHOOLS
CALVARY CHRISTIAN COLLEGE
5 October until 8 November 2009

Prints created from the recent Artists in Schools project, in which local artist Aja Ausman taught students from Calvary Christian College how to create and print their own etchings.

Works in the showcase by Tate
Adams, Claudine Marzik and
Barbara Pierce.

SMALL WORKS OF ART
3 November until 6 December 2009

A selection of small artworks, including glass work, small sculptures, paintings and photography, all created by local artists and ideal for a creative Christmas gift.

Artists include:
Tate Adams, Katelyn Aslett, Donna Beningfield, Jeanette Hutchinson, Jan Hynes, Martin Kizur, Claudine Marzik, Hannah Murray, Victoria Nelson, Barbara Pierce, Clinton Searston, Elizabeth Tillack, Alan Valentine, Denise Vanderlugt, Marie Warnecke.

Jan Hynes
Blooming Cannas
(Venue is CityLibraries Aitkenvale)

artabout is Perc Tucker Regional Gallery's art-for-hire venture. artabout offers artwork loans to corporate clients at reasonable rates. To discuss borrowing artwork from the Gallery's extensive collection please contact the Gallery's artabout Officer.