Gordon Bennett The Coming Of The Light Analysis

924 Words2 Pages

“Art can use the power of visual image to challenge and even change popular opinions about important and universal issues. Art can be a very influential way to give a strong, direct comments and criticisms on things that have happened in society and culture.” (Rehab-Mol J, 1998, p6) Indigenous art is mostly about connecting to their land and their religious belief; however, art has different forms, especially the Indigenous contemporary art as it uses ‘modern materials in a mixed cultural context’. (Aboriginal Art Online, 2000)

Gordon Bennett and Tony Albert are both urban-based artists who explore their Indigenous backgrounds and the issues that are centered on their culture. Gordon Bennett’s issue for society is the denial of Indigenous …show more content…

The name of the artwork is a term used by ‘Torres Strait Islanders to describe the arrival of the missionaries who brought Christianity to the Islanders in 1871, which means that ‘coming of the light’ is accepting goodness and staying away from the dark’. (Molan, 2011) The artwork shows several jack-in-the-boxes, surrounded by symbols such as ‘grid-like buildings’. It also shows a hand holding a torch in one hand and the other onto the Aboriginal figure in front of several white figure …show more content…

The buildings symbolise a ‘civilised society’. (Molan, 2011) However, it is the opposite of civilised as the Indigenous figure shows a confronting image of being hanged while the other figures witness this action and staring at this figure curiously, as he is different from them. The distance between the white figure jack-in-the-boxes is far away from the Indigenous figure, as they are near the buildings – creating a cultural distance towards the Indigenous figure. On one hand, it is holding a torch is a symbol of hope but on the other shows a vicious and cruel mistreatment to Indigenous Australians.

Unlike Gordon Bennett, who grew up struggling from his Aboriginal heritage, Tony Albert, a founding member of Queensland's Indigenous art collective proppaNOW explores political, social and cultural issues that are relevant to Indigenous Australian in today’s society. Albert’s artistic practice has a range of media and applications producing 2D wall art, sculpture and installation based works. According to Albert, he began to see the ‘problematic representations of his identity’ (Art Monthly Australia, 2015, p.55) after discovering the work of contemporary Aboriginal artists Tracey Moffat and Gordon

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