emerging aboriginal artists from western australia - Gallery Central

For participating in Revealed, artists will also be rewarded with afreedom that is not always afforded to mid career and established artists.The freedom of which I speak is that of being able to technically andconceptually explore, express and engage without the heavy weight ofexpectation, which is so often placed on those who have been practicingfor years. In my experience, connoisseurs of the art world will be openand generous in their approach to works featured in Revealed. Curators,collectors, visiting artists, gallerists and the general public will makeunequivocally positive noises, providing words of encouragement toartists, friends and colleagues about the qualities they see in individualworks. Such feedback can be invaluable for an early career artist becauseit reinforces potential and existing strengths in their practice.The opportunity to engage with other emerging artists, who are spreadacross the length and breadth of Western Australia, is an infrequent andunique occurrence that only Revealed in its second inauguration continuesto address. This decentralised group of artists will undoubtedly findvalue in the interactions that take place around the Revealed program.Exposure to different works of art, styles, media, ideas and an immersionin artistic camaraderie provide necessary and creative sustenance inwhat can be a highly isolated pursuit. The ability to physically view aseries of works as well as partake in meaningful conversation enablesartists to assess, exchange and build on their current practice.The thrill of Revealed, especially what it might unveil, is likewise felt amongarts workers, curators, private collectors, and gallerists. We get to sampleen masse the interests, convictions and emerging styles of the next waveof Western Australian Aboriginal artists. The significance of being ableto engage with art and artists en masse cannot be overemphasised,particularly when issues of distance, money and time severely hamperthe ability to visit scores of artists in their own locale. Art en masseprovides the very necessary opportunity to assess the continuities anddepartures, as well as the continuum across intrastate regional art styles,and what it means for contemporary Indigenous art. Art professionalsare appreciative of programs like Revealed to deliver to our metrocentric-space– in this case, Perth – the quantity of information we seek.Moreover, Revealed offers the chance to build timely and direct workingrelationships with artists, and the art centres that support their creativeWarmun Art CentreWinnie Sampi and her painting, Spinifex Hill Artists7