Public talk and gallery tour

Fremantle Arts Centre

PUBLIC TALK

WA ANTHROPOLOGIST ROBERT TONKINSON ON 50 YEARS WITH THE MARTU

PRESENTED AS PART OF WE DON’T NEED A MAP

Wednesday, 16 January

In the final week of We don’t need a map: a Martu experience of the Western Desert join acclaimed anthropologist Prof Robert Tonkinson and arts writer Darren Jorgensen for an in depth and engaging discussion about Martu life and culture.

Prof Tonkinson has been working with the Martu, some of whom are participants in We don’t need a map, since 1963. His research and personal experiences provide a unique and invaluable insight into the Martu’s way of life.

Gallery tour: Join senior Martu artists Nancy Chapman, Minyawe Miller and Mulyatingki Marney along with We don’t need a map co-curator Erin Coates (Fremantle Arts Centre Exhibitions Coordinator) for an informal gallery tour.

SPEAKERS

Professor Robert Tonkinson, University of Western Australia, Senior Honorary Research Fellow Anthropology and Sociology

This fascinating talk by anthropologist Robert Tonkinson will reflect on his experiences with the Martu and his insights into their culture and world view. Tonkinson’s has a long-standing interest in the Martu and in 1963 he began the first of many visits to Jigalong community – then a mission – to learn directly about Martu language, religion and way of life. More than forty years later, several of the same Martu Tonkinson first met are senior practicing artists and rangers and are featured in We don’t need a map.

Robert Tonkinson is a senior research fellow at the University of Western Australia and the author of numerous books and published essays on Australian and Melanesian culture, including , The Jigalong Mob (1974) and The Mardu Aborigines (1978/91). Tonkinson has been active in land claim research on behalf of the Martu, who gained title to a large area of their traditional homelands in 2002.

Associate Professor Darren Jorgensen, University of Western Australia

Speaking directly about the artworks in We don’t need a map, arts writer and lecturer Darren Jorgensen will share his responses to the exhibition. Looking at several key works, Jorgensen will discuss how Martu cosmology and connection to country are embedded in the paintings and new media works. Darren Jorgensen is a freelance arts writer and a lecturer in art history at the University of Western Australia. His research includes Aboriginal art centres and art from remote communities. 

Gallery Tour

Join co-curator Erin Coates, on a walk through Fremantle Arts Centre’s galleries. This informal tour will provide anecdotal and background information on the works in the exhibition and the process of creating We don’t need a map.

Wednesday 16 January, 2013

  • Gates open 6:30pm

  • Talks in the Inner Courtyard 7-8pm

  • Informal gallery tour 8-8.30pm

Tickets $10 from fac.org.au and 9432 9555

Bar open | food available

We don’t need a map: a Martu experience of the Western Desert. Closes 20 January, 2013.

16 Jan 2013

Robert Tonkinson with Martu children in 1963
Robert Tonkinson with Martu children in 1963

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