Aboriginal Artist Ali Cobby

 

Ali Cobby, a very well known artist in the indigenous tribe of Yankunytjatjara in the North east of Australia.

 I chose this artwork because of the way she expresses and showcases her workplace. The fish trap indicates that she has been in experience with water and this was a tool used. As you can see she used materials to make her art traditional. The way it was designed and the sting used to make the art is a unique way. Indigenous Australians were known for using native equipment in their daily lifestyles, and hunting was a main example.

With her as the indigenous Australian that she is she has been in experience of racism. From my heart’s content Ali Cobby chose to show her experience by having 2 sides to the fish trap, with the shades black and white. Not only does this display Racism but can be viewed as the yin & yang symbol. We know this may have not been what she was going for but from my perspective the 2 pieces must go together to create the fish trap, (just like the symbol). The dark colours used show the dark times in her life, such as when the Europeans came and evicted her peoples’ land. While the white represents the memories and the good times she’s had.  Which she chose to demonstrate in her sculpture.

What I really capture from her variety of art was her decision to create sculptures to show and express art in a realistic form. And just like any artwork it can be viewed differently according to what the person is feeling and past experiences.
 By Ruth