Colonial Wallpapers - Mantle of Perception (panel 4)

Artist Helen S Tiernan (born 1952)

Date2017

Object number00055153

NamePainting

MediumOil on canvas

DimensionsOverall: 1785 × 610 × 40 mm

ClassificationsArt

Credit LineANMM Collection

Terms

DescriptionColonial Wallpapers - Mantle of Perception by Helen S Tiernan, panel four of five. This painting shows the edge of the marble mantelpiece of the central panel (00055152) and is framed by vegetation in the foreground. Spread out across the landscape behind is the fish traps on the Barwon River at Brewarrina. To the right is the monument to Captain Cook at Kurnell and in the far distance, an empty harbour fringed by small industrial areas. The artist Helen Tiernan paints a panorama intermingling Australian colonial and modern references with a powerful symbol of Indigenous longevity, the Brewarrina fish traps. Vast in both its geography and timelines, the painting presents mixed European and Indigenous perceptions of the land.HistoryIn panel four of the series 'Colonial Wallpaper - Mantle of Perception', Helen S Tiernan presents the viewer with a landscape framed by vegetation. The central feature of this landscape are the Brewarrina fish traps in Victoria. Built by the Ngemba Wayilwan (or Wailwan) people of Brewarrina these traps appear within the Barwon River. The location of the traps was determined by the ancestral creation being Baiame who cast his fishing net to show where the traps should be built. Originating at an estimated 40,000 years ago, it has been suggested that these fish traps may be the oldest human construction in the world. As the central image in this panel, Tiernan demonstrates to the viewer not only the longevity of Indigenous people on the land but their intimate understanding of the country. These Ngemba Wayilwan traps clearly show to European eyes the highly skilled techniques that were already being used prior to colonisation. Not only in terms of construction but also a deep knowledge of river hydrology and fish biology. The traps were so extensive and successful for thousands of years that they became one of the great Aboriginal meeting places of eastern Australia. These traps worked with the river and seasons. They did not damage the landscape nor take more than people needed, it was a resource that was shared and had a deep history to creation and country. While Tiernan celebrates the Brewarrina fish traps, with fluid lines and flowing water, as contrast on a hill is the monument to Captain Cook at Kurnell, New South Wales. Set high and pointed it does not seek to blend in with its surroundings. Its white obelisk points to the sky in triumph and yet it is dwarfed by the expanse of land surrounding it. It seems spindle like and fragile. Will it exist in 1000 years’ time? SignificanceArtist Helen Tiernan's painting 'Colonial Wallpapers - Mantle of Perception' is significant as an example of modern re-interpretation of colonial history from an Indigenous perspective.