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Where the wild flowers once grew
Where the wild flowers once grew

Where the wild flowers once grew

Artist (1941)
Date2005
Object number00054537
NamePainting
MediumOil on Belgium linen, unframed
DimensionsDisplay dimensions: 925 × 1750 × 25 mm
Overall: 927 × 1755 × 23 mm
Copyright© Gordon Syron
ClassificationsArt
Credit LineANMM Collection
DescriptionA painting titled 'Where the wild flowers once grew' by Gordon Syron. It depicts an Australian native forest in full bloom with the soil covered in flowers, ferns and tall gum trees full of leaves. There is a group of Indigenous people walking through the landscape. In this piece Syron presents a pre-contact vision of a flourishing land in which Aboriginal people tread lightly. It shows how majestic the rainforest, wildflowers and trees must have been before the coming of the white man and European occupation in Australia.HistoryGordon Syron is a Biripi/Worimi artist born in New South Wales who was involved with the East Coast Encounter initiative. This lyrical painting by Gordon Syron presents a pre-contact vision of a flourishing land in which Indigenous people tread lightly. "The painting shows how majestic the rainforest, wildflowers and trees must have been before the coming of the white man. The clearing of trees took all the elements and goodness out of the soil. Now the wildflowers don't grow in their natural state anymore. The Land itself is sacred to me. That is why I chose to paint about it." - Gordon Syron The East Coast Encounter project is a multi-arts initiative involving Australian Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal artists, writers and songwriters to re-imagine the encounter by Lt James Cook and his crew with Aboriginal people in 1770. Cook's voyage along the Australian east coast has become central to national historical narratives. The exhibition re-envisages this seminal journey by imaginatively exploring moments of contact between two world views during these encounters. It also brings these events into the present by incorporating artists' reflections on their relevance today, and their responses to visits to significant contact locations. Topics such as encounter, impact, differing perspectives, nature and culture and views of country are investigated. SignificanceThis work by Gordon Syron is significant in providing a contemporary Indigenous perspective of first contact and European occupation within Australia. It formed part of the East Coast Encounter exhibition as part of an ongoing attempt to provide an Indigenous perspective on Australia's history.