From Bark to Neon – Advanced Class Musings

Week 7 in the Advanced class looks at art, so in light of this, last week Advanced PM1 went for a walk to investigate public art. Taking advantage of the beautiful day, we strolled to Federation Square to check out sculptures and dropped into the NGV’s Ian Potter Centre to look at its collection of Aboriginal Australian art entitled “From Bark to Neon”. On our return everyone reflected on the outing and their feelings about particular artworks.

Where can you find a Fire at Federation Square? 

By Juwon Lee and Francois Jaune

This afternoon, we visited art at Federation Square and the Ian Potter Centre. We were there to explore the arts outside and inside of Melbourne.

While we were walking, we were impressed by the sculpture called “Red Centre”. It is a structure of sticks made in steel with red and yellow colours which seems to symbolize fire.

This sculpture looks simple in the daytime and seems a little bit hard to understand what the artist wants to tell. But, on the other hand, if you look at it at night, it is a beautiful example of a mixture of shade and light due to the effect of the uplights.

We think that this is one of the must-see public arts in Melbourne.

The Mixed Feelings of Sadness and Joy

By Mika Sato

I would like to talk about a piece of art “Smile 2017”.

If you see this photograph for the first time, you might be shocked because the heads of children seem to be cut off and left close to an Aboriginal boomerang.

The boomerang is supposed to be used to kill or hunt animals.

However, no sooner had we got back from the gallery than I noticed that it actually looks like a smiley face photograph.

I think the artist has a sense of humour and this makes people smile, but only when they realize this is a smiley face.

ART AT FEDERATION SQUARE OF THE IAN POTTER CENTRE

By Laura Valeria Chalarca Arboleda.

The Ian Potter centre is a place located in Federation Square where you can spend your time enjoying yourself and getting to know about aboriginal culture. How they and the artists express their emotions is shown in the exhibition “From Bark to Neon” which represents a mix of human connections with nature.

There are so many colours and shapes and they make you feel everything related to society, where we have had victories and defeats, happiness and sadness; and all these things are contained in just one room. The meaning of this, I feel, is that each and every one of us has a story and art can represent and express what we were and what we are and how we are in charge of making the right decisions to continue with the history of humanity.  All this makes me think about what we will leave to the next generation?

It is a great idea to visit galleries and museums because there we can gain another vision of the world expressed through shapes and colours that represent us.

ABORIGINAL ART

By Juliana Acevedo

This afternoon we went to see an art exhibition in the Ian Potter centre in Melbourne. It was a good opportunity to learn about aboriginal art while we enjoy the nice weather.

In this place you can find a wide variety of art, from traditional Australian art to some modern artists’ work.

If you ask me what my favourite was, I would say the dot paintings which are in the aboriginal gallery, I loved the earthy tones that make all the paintings so natural, and how with simple dots and lines they express their culture and daily life; for example one of the artists showed us just how the desert changes after the rain, how the forest grows again and the life comes back.

In conclusion it is a great art exhibition, which allows us to appreciate a different kind of art and help us to understand their culture and customs.

I would definitely go again to see each piece of art with more detail.

Getting the message

By Juan Daniel Caceres Rubiano

There is an iconic place in Melbourne at Federation Square, The Ian Potter Centre. To be honest I am not crazy about arts, nevertheless, the experience of being there was quite interesting. Contrary to what I had expected, I did enjoy it due to the fact that it is not just about paintings or sculptures, it is also about history and certainly it feels as if you can empathise with the aboriginal Australian experience.

Indeed, lots of techniques, colours and materials can be appreciated through the gallery rooms and therefore many feelings are constantly appearing and merging into the concept of what the artists want to express.

As a matter of fact, there is also space for less traditional and edgier art which is so vivid that you could stop paying for movies at the cinema and just live it in person, and for free!

Definitely going to the Ian Potter Centre is highly recommended as you will enjoy every detail you see there.

For further reading about the exhibit From Bark to Neon, check out this link: https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/essay/black-to-the-future-indigenous-artists-work-forwards/