Published on Friday, 30 September 2022 at 12:10:07 PM
An acrylic on canvas by Ballardong Noongar artist Rohin Kickett is the latest work to be acquired by the Shire of Mundaring for their Art Collection.
Rohin Kickett is a contemporary Aboriginal artist who works predominantly in paint and whose artwork often depicts aerial landscapes.
The new work, Mundaring Weir, presented to the Shire last week also portrays the aerial topography of the land, focusing on Kickett’s connection to the country surrounding the Mundaring Weir.
Artwork commissioned for the Shire's Reconciliation Action Plan
The artwork was commissioned by the Shire and Mundaring Arts Centre as part of the development of the Shire Reconciliation Action Plan. Kickett was invited to create a work that would reflect his connection to the region and the qualities and intentions of reconciliation.
At the presentation of the work to the Shire, Kickett explained he started with exploring the connection he had to the area.
Connection to Mundaring Weir inspired artwork
"When I was younger, I spent a lot of time riding through the area, really fast, on my motorcycle," he said.
"The Mundaring Weir Road was always my favourite ride, often riding home at 2am or 3am, this ride was always something special, seeing the Weir coming up over the road. It gave me so much pleasure, it was energising to be around this area.
"Looking through my family history within the Mundaring Shire, way back in in the 1920’s and 1930’s, before the York Reserve was open, my pop and my great grandfather would travel, avoiding authorities and living off the land. They would come down as far as Lake Manaring just out near the Lakes Roadhouse. That is where they would camp on their way going through. I wanted to pick up these tracks.
"When Jude and I first looked at the maps, we spoke about the tracks and how awesome they were, the patterns and the shapes they make, and how they referenced the tracks my family would have made coming down here and through the bush. I couldn’t fly the drone, like I normally do, because it is a water source, so I had to do everything from Google Maps.
"I wanted to capture the colours of the dam, and the earth, from when you are walking and what you see, in the flowers and everything, but then present it from such a high altitude to capture the whole area.
Capturing the story of the country
"It was quite challenging, but I used many different reference photos to paint from, I put the painting aside for a little bit, when it wasn’t behaving itself, bringing it back out when it was good, and continue on.
"I wanted to capture a lot in one piece. I wanted to capture the story of the country - how it is now, and the areas that have been cleared for different reasons, but also highlight the beauty of the area.”
Unconventional media used to create
Kickett’s respect for the land and drive to invite the viewer to take a closer look at how we create stories around place and people resonates through his work. He often uses unconventional media to create - a trowel to apply paint or a gun to explode materials, Kickett utilises the medium that best tells his story in a manner that is approachable, and often humorous, but retains the weight of the intention.
View Mundaring Weir
Mundaring Weir is now on display in the Shire of Mundaring Council Chambers and will feature in the Shire Reconciliation Action Plan publication. His work joins a diverse collection of over 190 artforms created by West Australian artists as part of the Shire of Mundaring Art Collection.
About Rohin Kickett
Kickett undertook an arts residency at the Midland Junction Arts Centre in 2019 where he developed a process for recording imagery with a drone and translating key elements onto canvas. Kickett’s work highlights and reflects the beauty of the region, while also recognising the degraded state of the land.
In his recent solo exhibition, Beautiful Dead at Japingka Gallery (July 2022), Kickett recorded the country around Lake Grace, the Wheatbelt region, and the Southwest of Western Australia, drawing attention to the ‘deathly state’ of what was important life sources.
His recent digital work (video and photography) created for the Fremantle Biennale project In Our Shoes (March 2022) explores the dialogue around the Stolen Generation, clearly defining that he is telling Aboriginal history from an Aboriginal point of view.
Back to All News