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y separately published work icon Australia : The Vatican Museums Indigenous Collection anthology   essay   information book  
Issue Details: First known date: 2018... 2018 Australia : The Vatican Museums Indigenous Collection
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

'From the ancient Etruscans and Romans, to the Renaissance masters of Michelangelo and Raphael, the Vatican Museums represent an aspect of the history of humanity through art. 

'The Indigenous Australian collection is a little known and unexplored part of that story. Being amongst some of the earliest known documentations of Australian Indigenous cultures, the collection includes the earliest extant set of Pukumani poles from Melville and Bathurst Islands, alongside more recent contributions of artworks and cultural objects, and presents materials that have not been exhibited before in Australia.

'The responsibility to culturally reconnect relevant contemporary Indigenous communities to their material heritage held in the museum has been realised and is documented in this catalogue, which includes a catalogue of objects and essays by Indigenous and non-Indigenous authors. During the process of community visits and consultations, images of the objects brought old and young people together, instigating intergenerational dialogue about the past.

'Now, in collaboration with communities, the Indigenous collection can be seen in this catalogue and is represented at the heart of the Vatican Museums where the objects have become cultural ambassadors inviting others to come and learn more about Australian Indigenous cultures.' (Publication summary)

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

    • Canberra, Australian Capital Territory,: Aboriginal Studies Press , 2018 .
      image of person or book cover 1523080407874838251.jpg
      Image courtesy of publisher's website.
      Extent: 400p.
      Description: illus.
      Note/s:
      • Published January 2018

      ISBN: 9788882714116

Works about this Work

[Review] Australia: The Vatican Museums Indigenous Collection Annemarie McLaren , 2018 single work review
— Appears in: Australian Aboriginal Studies , no. 2 2018; (p. 83-85)

At a sandstone outcrop in Arnhem Land known an Injalak Hill, a traditional owner points to an enormous rock face. Adorning it are earthy reds and yellows, along with startlingly white clay. Spread across two pages in glossy colour, this image is but one of many in this book that may remind its Italian readers (some who may be reading this volume in its Italian edition) of treasured frescoes much closer to home. But instead of the familiar characters from the Book of Genesis are countless figures side by side or overlain: fish, kangaroos and crocodiles, all outlined in striking clarity and infilled with intricate designs. On the next page, anthropologist-and-philosopher Tony Swain has stressed that in Australia’s north, art and cosmology are deeply aligned and sometimes the same; Dreamings collide with the land, and once one is accustomed to experiencing them, then the country is alive with signs of their presence .'  (Introduction)

AIATSIS and Vatican Work Together on Publication 2018 single work column
— Appears in: Koori Mail , 10 January no. 667 2018; (p. 39)

'One of the earliest known sets of Pukumani poles from the Tiwi Islands features in the new publication Australia : The Vatican Museums Indigenous Collection.' 

AIATSIS and Vatican Work Together on Publication 2018 single work column
— Appears in: Koori Mail , 10 January no. 667 2018; (p. 39)

'One of the earliest known sets of Pukumani poles from the Tiwi Islands features in the new publication Australia : The Vatican Museums Indigenous Collection.' 

[Review] Australia: The Vatican Museums Indigenous Collection Annemarie McLaren , 2018 single work review
— Appears in: Australian Aboriginal Studies , no. 2 2018; (p. 83-85)

At a sandstone outcrop in Arnhem Land known an Injalak Hill, a traditional owner points to an enormous rock face. Adorning it are earthy reds and yellows, along with startlingly white clay. Spread across two pages in glossy colour, this image is but one of many in this book that may remind its Italian readers (some who may be reading this volume in its Italian edition) of treasured frescoes much closer to home. But instead of the familiar characters from the Book of Genesis are countless figures side by side or overlain: fish, kangaroos and crocodiles, all outlined in striking clarity and infilled with intricate designs. On the next page, anthropologist-and-philosopher Tony Swain has stressed that in Australia’s north, art and cosmology are deeply aligned and sometimes the same; Dreamings collide with the land, and once one is accustomed to experiencing them, then the country is alive with signs of their presence .'  (Introduction)

Last amended 20 Dec 2017 12:11:59
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