Bark takes on new skin
by Alexandra Brown
Curator of Indigenous Australian art, Susan Jenkins is back at her old university to curate one of the Samstag Museum of Art’s latest exhibitions, which is a collection of bark paintings.
Skin: The Max Hart Collection of Aboriginal Bark Paintings, showcases pieces of art that Aboriginal Studies lecturer Max Hart collected in the 1970s.
Jenkins is well placed to curate the exhibition as a UniSA Bachelor of Fine Art graduate with more than 20 years experience working in the museums and visual arts sector. Her work path has led her to specialise in Arnhem Land art which involves bark painting.
After graduating in 1986, Jenkins began her career working as an arts development officer in Port Lincoln. She has since gone on to work as curator of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art at the National Gallery of Australia. Most recently she was appointed visual arts programming executive at the Adelaide Festival Centre.
Previously, Jenkins worked as Arts Administrator for Bula’Bula Arts in Ramingining Central Arnhem Land. From 1993 she lived and immersed herself in the local community for two years and it was during this time she got to know and love bark painting.
"I had the benefit of meeting people and seeing that bark painting is very much a part of their lives," Jenkins said. "It is all around. It is not contrived. Their studio is in the bush, with their family around them. I was able to see it go from the tree to a piece of art."
Jenkins also completed a number of Aboriginal Studies courses while Max Hart was lecturing at the University.
"There’s a real affection there between Aboriginal people and Max Hart," said Jenkins.
Max Hart has been described by his friends and colleagues as the father of Aboriginal Education. He was a pioneer in the development and teaching of Aboriginal Studies, offering the first such subjects at a tertiary level at UniSA in the 1960’s.
Jenkins has selected 24 works for the exhibition out of some 50 pieces that Hart collected during the 1970’s to gain knowledge to then impart to his students.
She describes the collection as "democratic" as it contains works from both renowned and unknown artists.
"What I love is there are some really beautifully resolved, highly finished works, then there are others that are obviously unfinished, or by a younger artist, but he hasn’t discarded those. He has collected them all."
Hart’s interest in the cultural aspects of bark paintings and evident close relationships with Aboriginal people is reflected in the exhibitions title, Skin.
The word skin is used to underline the importance of social or skin relationships among Aboriginal clans. The word skin is also, in the Yolngu language of Arnhem Land, the same as the word for bark. The bark of a tree is considered its skin.
Skin, will be on show from September 12 to October 30 and is one of several exhibitions presented jointly by eight leading university art museums as part of an initiative to highlight the major contributions universities make to the visual arts in Australia.
Jenkins’ said it is very nice to be asked back to the university she studied at 23 years ago.
"It seems appropriate and I suppose it testifies to the good work the uni is doing that somebody can come back as a professional in the field they studied in and feed back into the university texture."