In partnership with Sohan Ariel Hayes Studio and the Aboriginal Art Centre Hub WA, we are excited to launch Artist in Focus; a deeply enriched series of short films celebrating Aboriginal art and storytelling.

Artist in Focus is now screening at the WA Museum Boola Bardip in the Perth Cultural Centre, and on the long ribbon screen on Francis Street. 

A year in the making, the four 15-minute short films showcase WA Aboriginal Artists to the wider community through the lens of independent filmmaking and storytelling.

Using a two-way learning process that prioritises the Artist’s voice filmmakers Sohan Ariel Hayes and Devris Hasan settled on a format that is part documentary and part visual storytelling, allowing the Artist’s to share with a wider audience their creative journey and communicate some of the unique experiences which have shaped their lives and practice.

These films form part of a four-stage Aboriginal Digital Artwork project designed to platform Aboriginal artists from across Western Australia to tell their stories and share their art on a national scale. Artist in Focus was commissioned by WA Museum as part of the New Museum Project and the State Government’s Percent for Art Scheme.

“The Western Australian Museum is proud to work with Aboriginal artists from around the State and commission new digital works for the State Collection which will be featured at Boola Bardip. Boola Bardip means ‘many stories’ in Nyoongar language and this project provides a vehicle for these artists to tell their stories, their way,” WA Museum CEO Alec Coles said.

In addition to welcoming Artist in Focus to the digital screens this week, WA Museum has also commissioned stages three and four of the project. We look forward to sharing these works with the community in the future.

Images courtesy of Sohan Ariel Hayes & Devris Hasan.

 

Alice Guiness, Wendy Hubert, Judith Coppin. Juluwarlu Art Group, Ngurrawaana

 

Daniel Walbidi, Bidyadanga.

Christopher Pease, Noongar Boodja.

Cathy Ward and Delaney Griffiths, Waringarri Aboriginal Arts.