Shellwork map of Australia
Artist
Lola Ryan
(1925-2003)
Artist
Peter Fay
(1944)
Datec 2001
Object number00037419
NameSculpture
MediumWood, shells, glitter, paint
DimensionsOverall: 160 x 370 x 45 mm, 0.7 kg
ClassificationsArt
Credit LineANMM Collection
DescriptionThis map designed by La Perouse Elder Lola Deli Ryan and Sydney-based art collector Peter Fay is after the Ortelius map (1570) in which a huge southern continent (Terra Australis Nondum Cognita) is depicted occupying the entire southern ocean. The bottom layer of the map is covered in black shells with silver glitter, which can be seen through the cut-out on the top layer, which is covered in white shell.HistoryShellwork - the art of creating 3-dimensional shell covered objects - was practiced by many Koori people of New South Wales from as early as the 1880s as a way of earning income by selling souvenirs. Lola Ryan's parents of La Perouse, Sydney, sold their shellwork at the Royal Easter Show and Sydney's markets in the 1920s. Lola first began creating her own shellwork in 1940 at the age of 15. Her mother taught her to make the shellwork shoes and boxes, and her father taught her to make the bridges, boats and kookaburras. She sold her pieces to tourists visiting Sydney, particularly along the southern beaches.
In 2001 Lola collaborated with Sydney art collector Peter Fay to create five shell maps of early European imaginings of Australia inspired by maps discussed in 'The Mapping of Terra Australia' (1995) by Robert Clancy, and 'Australia in Old Maps 820-1770' (1995) by E B Whitehouse. The works were exhibited at the Gitte Weise Gallery in November 2001 along with a large collection of Lola's more traditional pieces such as Sydney Harbour Bridges, boomerangs and heart-shaped boxes.
SignificanceLola Ryan's series of shellwork maps reflect the development of non-Indigenous Australian imaginings of the Australian continent over a 900 year period, as seen in maps drawn between 817 and 1771. They are also an important example of the Indigenous practice of shellwork, and reflect one of the ways in which members of the La Perouse Aboriginal community have generated income since the 1880s.