Floating Life: Contemporary Aboriginal Fibre Art at GOMA now!

Currently on show at the Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane, is the exhibition 'Floating Life' highlighting the importance of fibre within Aboriginal culture and the 'commitment of the Queensland Art Gallery to developing a unique collections of more that 300 objects'. Banubirr (the Morning Star), water, and the notion of movement through time and place are major themes. Read more here.

I absolutely loved walking into this exhibition with little knowledge of what I would find. It took my breath away! This is an exciting and memorable collection of woven forms in diverse materials, including the obscure such as found fencing wire as well as a considerable number of natural fibres such as spinifex, bark fibres, jungle vines, and pandanus leaves. Each room contained more surprise and I have returned several times to see this exhibit.

Forms of every kind, size,  structure, method and purpose are featured.

This string bag or Abmin by Doreen Yam (b 1947) was constructed with knotted-netted polypropylene and had a particularly contemporary feel.

Below: This room featured fishing technology and contained examples of nets, traps and even a canoe sail made of woven reeds. The curator Dianne Moon has written an essay titled: 'Visible songs: captured flight' that gives a lovely introduction to this work...well worth reading if you wish to know more! This exhibition has drawn a great deal of enthusiasm from all who have been lucky enough to visit.