Perth Voice Interactive

A barbed wire capital letter C is a hard-edged reminder of the racial tensions in Australia on and off the sports field, in PICA’s latest exhibition.

Titled just another black C, it’s part of String Theory: Focus on Contemporary Australian Art at the Northbridge gallery.

It refers to 2010 comments by NSW rugby league coach Andrew Johns who told players at a coaching clinic that when they saw Queenslander Greg Inglis on the field they should “tackle the black c…,” Museum of Contemporary Art senior curator Glenn Barkley says.

Like string coming off a spool, the story rolled out and the consequences were widespread and tangled, including Johns’ resignation as coach.

Barkely’s experience in putting together the exhibition was less traumatic, although somewhat bruising as he travelled the country from Tasmania to Arnhem Land, Queensland and WA.

String Theory features works by more than 30 indigenous artists and groups from across Australia, using traditional weaving material such as grasses, along with string, wire and wood.

It’s a diverse range of works using textile traditions, along with sculpture, photography, painting and video, Barkley says.

Strung through the exhibition is the interconnection of groups and artists and the broader community, and the outcome is some stunning art that tells the story of being Aboriginal.

Dale Harding’s works came out of conversations with his grandmother and mother: “Slowly evolving into artworks that tell the hard truths of Australian history.”

The scientific string theory is hard to get a handle on, but purports to be a theory of the interconnectedness of everything in the universe.

“In the context of this exhibition, it implies expansion and connection across time and space, a porous and open ended embracing of diverse approaches to the idea of ‘fibre’ or craft-based disciplines,” Barkley says.

Pieces range from strange but endearing dolls to huge half-tree half-people creations by the Tjanpi Desert Weavers, from the Northern Territory’s Western Desert area.

The tree-people are based on the “seven sisters” a story common to many indigenous people but similar myth can be found in European history, Barkley says.

The dolls are made by the Noongar Doll Makers, who started off with simple doll-making workshops in Narrogin and Pingelly.

“The workshops soon grew into weekly community gatherings driven by story-telling, doll-making and family connections,” Barkley told the Voice.

String Theory runs November 16 to January 5 at PICA, in the Perth Cultural Centre, James Street, Northbridge.

by JENNY D’ANGER