“When the War Started” By Ana Sofia Reyna Year 12, and the Aboriginal Exhibition by Annabelle Veith Year 12.
“When the war started” Exhibition
Since the first week of school, an exhibition has been held in the lobby of the Arts Center. Emmanuelle Michaux has given LGB the pleasure to see her piece, “When the war started”. The work might have intrigued you and if it did make sure to keep reading.
The French artist, Emmanuelle Michaux decided to make this piece after meeting a Syrian refugee, Hani Abbas. Hani Abbas had a very compelling story that influenced Michaux’s work. Abbas’s had to flee Syria in a very spontaneous manner, leaving him with very limited time to pack his bags and go. He had no time to think “What is it that I want to take with me?”. Certainly, he brought clothes to keep him warm during his journey, but what about his prized possessions? Unfortunately, Abbas had to leave all his pictures behind. Michaux managed to portray all of the aspects of the story in her piece. The luggage at the bottom of the piece, representing all the things Abbas had to take with him. The picture frames on top of the luggage and around the balcony on the Arts center’s second floor, all the memories Abbas had to leave behind.
Apart from doing that with the picture frames, Michaux added gold leaf around these frames to represent the sacredness of the pictures. Finally, the roses hanging from the ceiling represent a hope that war will be over and Abbas will be able to return back to his home.
Maybe this artwork might have served for some very aesthetic pictures, and hopefully, the meaning of the piece meant something to you. If you were forced to leave your house for any reason, what would you take with you?
Aboriginal Exhibition
From September 18th to the October 12th, the aboriginal exhibition, Desert Dreaming Utopia to Yuendumu, is being held at the top of the Centre des Arts. This rich-in-culture exhibition is owned by the Australian pair, Anthony Lennard and Anne-Cristine Lennard. Their intentions with this exhibition are to educate on the importance of art in aboriginal societies and to make sure that the profits of the paintings go directly to the Aboriginal artists.
Each piece of art is accompanied by a text which explains the cultural significance of the painting and the artist. These texts explore aboriginal traditions, experiences, and Dreamings. For aboriginal people, Dreamings represent when the Ancestral Spirits created life and physical geographic formations. These Dreamings explain the origin of the universe and workings in nature. Aboriginal people paint, dance, and sing to pass on Dreamings to their next generation.
The pieces in the exhibition are very meaningful to the artists and their societies which is why it is fortunate to have the opportunity to learn about their culture from a direct source. The exhibition is extremely engaging and educational and is definitely worth the trip up the stairs.
