Paradise Garden (Different Country, Same Story)
Danie MELLOR: artist
The drawing depicts a utopian paradise – a rainforest reminiscent of far north Queensland – in a style commonly associated with the Willow patterns of English Spode Chinaware. The artist says the blue and white represents a land transformed by history and interaction. While the colour represents the natural elements of the story, such as animals and people. The people also symbolise the real and brings the story back to reality. His work reminds us of Australia’s dual and multiple histories. It also speaks to ideas about Country and narrative; and, quietly confronts the “darker narratives of exclusion, expulsion and dominance that occur when people and cultures collide “ (Artist statement 2011).
Title
Paradise Garden (Different Country, Same Story)
Artist/Maker and role
Danie MELLOR: artist
Date
2012
Medium
pastel, pencil, glitter, Swarovski crystal and wash on Saunders Waterford paper
Measurements
153.0 x 206.0 cm
Production place
Canberra, Australian Capital Territory
Credit line
Purchased through the Sir Claude Hotchin Art Foundation, The Art Gallery of Western Australia Foundation, 2012
© Danie Mellor, 2012
The State Art Collection, The Art Gallery of Western Australia
Accession number
2012/0087