Message sticks
Reko (Gwaybilla) RENNIE: artist
In his teens, Reko Rennie discovered graffiti and began his informal ‘training’ on the streets of Melbourne. His work often speaks to politics, identity and communication – and some instances, the silencing of Aboriginal voices. In this particular work, featuring rows and rows of spray cans, Rennie reflects on the new and old ways that Aboriginal people have communicated across the millennia. And, although hidden to the unknowing eye, traditional Kamilaroi linear shield designs are repeated across the canvas, symbolising the continuum of tradition and culture among Aboriginal people today. (Board paper - Carly 2020)
Title
Message sticks
Artist/Maker and role
Reko (Gwaybilla) RENNIE: artist
Date
2009
Medium
spray paint and synthetic polymer paint on linen
Measurements
198 x 85cm each (6 panels in total)
Credit line
Purchased through The Art Gallery of Western Australia Foundation: TomorrowFund, 2010
© Reko (Gwaybilla) Rennie
The State Art Collection, The Art Gallery of Western Australia
Accession number
2010/0014.a-f