UOW student curates landmark art exhibition

Jun 15, 2006

A metal spear once believed to have wounded Governor Arthur Phillip and the first known images of Indigenous Australians from 1770 are just a few of the pieces on display at a landmark art exhibition being co-curated by University of Wollongong Masters student, Mr Anthony Bourke. Mr Bourke's co-curator is Keith Vincent Smith.

The high-profile exhibition at the State Library of NSW is called Eora: Mapping Aboriginal Sydney 1770-1850 and reveals a hidden world of Sydney's 'saltwater people'.

It traces the lives of the Eora (meaning 'the people') and their unique 'saltwater culture'. It also serves to personalise their rich history.

Mr Bourke's 'outstanding contribution' to the conception for the exhibition was praised by the Governor of NSW, Professor Marie Bashir, at the recent opening.

"The School of Art and Design is very proud of the extensive work Anthony has undertaken," said Professor Diana Wood Conroy from the Faculty of Creative Arts.

Over 145 exhibits are on show, many previously unseen by the public, including 50 rare portraits of clan leaders and families displayed together for the first time, offering fresh insight into their strong kinship ties.

Other highlights of the exhibition include the first ever vocabulary list of the Eora taken to England in 1770 by Philip Gidley King, portraits of clan leaders from 1802, original paintings by leading colonial artists and Lieutenant William Dawes' 1791 sketch map of Sydney Cove.

The exhibition is free and on display until 13 August.