An unexpected doctors visit yesterday proved very revealing regarding the paintings I admired.
I didn't expect to be seeing this doctor for a few months, but on the bright side I was glad to revisit these paintings.
The Artist is Adam Hill aka Blak Douglas.
I was able to find out about the artist and also had a very interesting conversation with the doctor about the hidden or perhaps not so hidden messages, in the paintings.
Did anyone else spot a theme?
To be honest my angel on the ground wasn't too helpful in my original post. Luckily I had my first successful home iv infusion prior to going to this appointment, which made me much more vertically competent to get some better shots.
The artist is Adam Hill.
Also known by the name Blak Douglas.
He is an artist, musician and activist with a background in design, photography, painting and is a classically trained didgeridoo player.
He doesn't shy away from controversy. Australian's enjoy having a laugh at themselves, but only to a point. Hill pushes the boundaries of that limit through his work, once substituting the words to the national anthem to the amusement of the audience until the subject became intensified by real issues.
Hill has a pretty impressive portfolio actually, and has featured works in the Archibald and has exhibited works in museums all around the world including Utrecht Gallery in Netherlands, Taipei Museum. He is a highly acclaimed and coveted artist.
So I don't think I will be picking one up anytime soon, even if the price value of steem does continue to rise.
He is a Sydney born Koori artist that grew up in the western suburbs. His paternal grandmother is from Dainggatti country, which is the Kempsey area of Northern NSW.
His grandmother died when his father was only ten years old. As his grandfather was white, like many mixed race indigenous Australians he was sent to live with his white relatives or face institutionalisation.
Hill's father lost his connection to his people at this time.
When Adam Hill was studying in his mid twenties and the question of , Where are your people from? kept coming up he went to his father with this very question and together they revisited their history.
I recently, and rather coincidentally wrote about the stolen generation of indigenous Australian children.
While Hill's father's story is different to that of the children kidnapped from their families, it would have been impossible for him to stay with his mother's family. His father went to war, and he would have been institutionalised rather than left with his mother's Dainggatti family in Kempsey.
There have been many strategies and policies implemented in Australia, presented as child welfare. These reforms strategically worked towards the removal of the indigenous peoples culture, language, traditions and connection to country.
Through his work Hill aka Blak Douglas has found his heritage.
When I stepped into the consult room with the doctor there was another painting hanging on the wall inside.
I got talking to him about the collection and he asked me if I could see a them or symbol repeated in them.
I told him I had spent five minutes in the waiting room researching the artist and that I thought they were from the Between the lines series, that was part of his reconnecting with his country.
The doctor looked at me a little goofy and said.
"Maybe this one is the mother country, but all the others are phallic."
"Go have a another look." he said.
And sure enough each beautiful painting had an erect penis featured.
On a headland or bobbing on the ocean, once I saw it, it was undeniably a penis.
Even this slightly more abstract presentation.
All except the one in the office.
It was clearly a more feminine display.
Beautiful mother land.
I hope you enjoyed learning about Blak Douglas and much as I did.
Definitely my new favourite artist.
https://www.creativespirits.info/resources/movies/between-the-lines-the-initiation-of-adam-hill
www.australianhumanitiesreview.org/archive/Issue-August-September-2007/Grieves.html
https://www.kateowengallery.com/artists/Bla980/Blak-Douglas-Adam-Hill.htm
Goodness me, the state of the art and what they depicts
I really like the way the sky is drawn in most of them. It's got that style you used to see a lot on art or video games from the '80s, with lines going all the way down to the horizon. I can't say I've seen it too often in actual paintings. Thanks for sharing the work of this artist, I looked up a few more on his website. They really do tell a lot about the plight of the indigenous people of Australia.
Yes, some of his other works are a lot heavier themed. Addressing the high rate of incarceration and deaths in custody, and the continued mistreatment of the indigenous Australians.
The attempted genocide of our oldest existing culture on the planet and it's survival in spite of these attacks.
His style is very cool too. He was born in 1970, so the 80s influence is probably spot on.
Thank you for your interest.
Who knows may be one day you could buy one!
Its the world of possibilities....
Maybe. I really do like his work.
Yeah may be....lol
His work is beautiful and he sounds like an interesting man. Thank you for sharing.
These paintings are awesome - at first glance they appear to be rather ordinary, but there's something also very striking about them. (Not just the phallic imagery!)
Yes I agree. Revisiting them I did see a lot more to them. At first pleasant then surprisingly so much more, irrespective of the cheeky light house and buoy.
This was a really interesting post. I too I had wondering about the artist. And I didn't see the penis in each piece until I took a closer look. Thank you for pointing it out.
Well that was a surprise ending!
Nice painter he is. I am like you that tries to see who is behind such paintings. I remember when I was still able to walk inside the hallway of the lab center where I go for testing my blood. Used to walk around and stare at the paintings that were hung on the walls. There is even one that is about 6 inches by six inches depicting a flower.
Maybe the owners of the lab center owners notices me because I always do that, like I am a visitor of a museum when I am waiting for my la tests to finish.
I would take a photo of those if when I could walk soon.
Take care now Marg @girlbeforemirror
Blak Douglas, Great art works and thanks for sharing that beautiful post with all the nice art works.
Heya, thanks for posting this. Lovely artwork. Art is supposed to be controversial, I believe. Hope your appointment went well x