The Dance

Place Oceania: Australia, Western Australia, Perth
Accession Number ART94538
Collection type Art
Measurement Framed: 103.1 cm x 123.5 cm x 5.5 cm
Object type Painting
Physical description acrylic red ochre and gold on canvas
Maker Dowling, Julie
Place made Australia: Western Australia, Perth
Date made 2000
Conflict Second World War, 1939-1945
Copyright

Item copyright: AWM Licensed copyright

Description

'This shows the dance where my grandmother and [grand]father got engaged, 1946. He had a fight with his "mates" cause they were racist. Grandmother is Mary Latham. Grandfather is Robert Woodie Dowling. He was in the Air Force. Sergeant Major' Julie Dowling

They daily lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and their families are deeply affected by social and political inequalities. Despite these external pressures, love and devotion still flourishes.

Julie Dowling (1969-) is an Aboriginal artist of Badimaya descent. Best known for her portraiture, she works in a social realist style and draws on a diverse range of artistic traditions including European portraiture, Christian iconography, Papunya Tula dotting and Noongar iconography. A particular strength of her work is its ability to reflect on both common and personal indigenous experiences. She has been exhibited extensively in Australia and internationally.