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Swirl of colours at Arts Space Wodonga
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Posted: 18/01/2012
THE late-Jimmy Pike's extraordinary tale of achieving against the odds is explored in the exhibition Desert Psychedelic: Jimmy Pike, currently on display at Arts Space Wodonga until Saturday, February 25.
Born in the Great Sandy Desert around 1940, Pike lived a traditional Walmajarri life for most of his childhood. As an adult, while serving time in prison for an alcohol-fuelled crime, Pike joined art classes and before long his work was capturing the explosive beauty of the harsh desert landscape with bold forms and psychedelic colours.
This significant exhibition follows Pike's journey from making paintings and prints in prison to producing textile designs, and includes fashion garments made in the 1980s during the height of the Indigenous cultural renaissance.
Effortlessly Australian and flamboyant in their brilliance, Pike's prints appeared on everything from bed linen to accessories, as well as garments ranging from high-fashion to sportswear.
A short animation takes visitors on Pike's journey from outback Australia to international fame and is inspired by Pike's children's book illustrations. Pike's prints and paintings can be found in major national and international gallery collections. His book illustrations and innumerable textile designs cement his place as a versatile and visionary artist.
Pike passed away in 2002, but left a legacy of brilliant paintings, prints, textile designs, stories and illustrations. This exhibition offers an opportunity to celebrate his achievements, and its focus on textiles acknowledges Jimmy Pike as one of the great Australian textile designers of the 20th century.
Desert Psychedelic: Jimmy Pike is curated by artisan and toured by Museum and Gallery Services Queensland. The Desert Psychedelic exhibition is supported by the Commonwealth, through the Australia-China Council which is part of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. 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.
