Indigenous* artist Archie Moore has become the first Australian to win the prestigious* Golden Lion award for Best National Participation at the Olympics of the art world.
His work called Kith and Kin is a massive family tree spanning* 65,000 years and covers the entire Australia Pavilion at the 60th La Biennale de Venezia, which is also called the International Art Exhibition in Venice.
The artwork confronts the ongoing issues of Australia’s colonisation*, with a focus on the high rates of imprisonment* of First Nations people.
A reflective pool sits in the centre of the space like a memorial and pays tribute to the injustices* still faced by First Nations peoples today. A platform above the pool is packed with 500 documents relating to official inquiries into the deaths of Indigenous Australians in police custody*.
The walls and the roof showcase the genealogical chart*, containing 65,000 years of names representing connectedness, ancestry* and humanity — themes Mr Moore touched on when speaking about receiving the award.
“As the water flows through the canals of Venice to the lagoon, then to the Adriatic Sea, it then travels to the oceans and to the rest of the world, enveloping the continent of Australia, connecting us all here on Earth,” he said.
“Aboriginal kinship systems include all living things from the environment in a larger network of relatedness*, the land itself can be a mentor or a parent to a child. We are all one and share a responsibility of care to all living things now and into the future,” Mr Moore said.
When handing out the award, the exhibition jury members said they were impressed with the size of Moore’s work.
“In this quiet, impactful pavilion, Archie Moore worked for months to hand-draw in chalk a monumental* First Nation family tree,” they said.
“Thus 65,000 years of history, both recorded and lost, are inscribed* on the dark walls and ceiling, inviting viewers to fill in the blanks and grasp the inherent* fragility of this mournful* archive*.
“With his inventory* of thousands of names, Moore also offers a glimmer of the possibility of recovery.”
Moore was commissioned to present in the Australia Pavilion by Creative Australia, which is the Australian Government’s principal arts investment and advisory body.
Australian Arts Minister Tony Burke said it was exciting to see an Australian take home the Golden Lion.
POLL
GLOSSARY
- indigenous: native to a country
- prestigious: highly regarded
- spanning: covering
- colonisation: settling among and establishing control over indigenous people
- imprisonment: being jailed
- injustices: wrongs
- custody: keeping control over
- ancestry: one’s family or ethnic background
- genealogical chart: family tree
- relatedness: being connected
- monumental: of great importance or size
- inscribed: a surface marked with characters
- inherent: naturally belonging to something and it can’t be separated
- mournful: expressing sadness
- inventory: a complete list or record
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QUICK QUIZ
1. How many other Australians have won the Golden Lion before?
2. How many names are in Archie Moore’s family tree?
3. What sits above the reflective pool?
4. Name three themes Archie Moore included in his artwork
5. How did Archie Moore create the genealogical chart?
LISTEN TO THIS STORY
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Be Inspired
Design your own artwork or write a story inspired by the ideas of kith and kin. Use information in the story to help you.
Time: allow at least 25 minutes to complete this activity.
Curriculum Links: English, Visual Arts.
2. Extension
Imagine that you could interview one of the judges who made the decision to award Archie Moore the Golden Lion prize. Write three questions that you would ask the judge about their decision. Then write the answers that you think that they would give.
Time: allow at least 25 minutes to complete this activity.
Curriculum Links: English, Visual Arts.
VCOP ACTIVITY
Grammar and VCOP
The glossary of terms helps you to understand and learn the ambitious vocabulary being used in the article. Can you use the words outlined in the glossary to create new sentences? Challenge yourself to include other VCOP (vocabulary, connectives, openers and punctuation) elements in your sentence/s. Have another look through the article, can you find any other Wow Words not outlined in the glossary?
