National Museum launches new exhibition, 'Kaninjaku: Stories from the Canning Stock Route'
Stories of contact, conflict and survival are featured in a striking new exhibition at the National Museum of Australia in Canberra, Kaninjaku: Stories from the Canning Stock Route, which includes 17 pieces not previously displayed.
Kaninjaku: Stories from the Canning Stock Route explores the history of the famous West Australian droving road (the Canning Stock Route) through the stories of the country it cuts across. Through the works of desert artists and the stories of traditional custodians, the exhibition tells the story of the Canning Stock Route's impact on Aboriginal people, and the importance of the Country surrounding it.
Consultant Curator John Carty says the exhibition tells the story of an important time in Australia’s history.
“Kaninjaku is a story of how history unfolded in the 20th century for Western Desert people. It explores how one droving road impacted Aboriginal life, law and ecology in different ways. It is a story told through art, but it is also a story about where that art comes from,” said Dr Carty.
Iconic Indigenous artist Rover Thomas is among the artists represented in the exhibition, along with Helicopter Tjungurrayi, Kumpaya Girgaba, Jan Billycan, Wakartu Cory Surprise and Curtis Taylor, who are all showing pieces inspired by a six-week return-to-country trip in 2007.
National Museum Director Mathew Trinca said the exhibition is an opportunity to showcase new works from The Canning Stock Route Collection – a jewel in the crown of the National Museum’s National Historical Collection.
“We first exhibited the Canning Stock Route collection in 2010–11 to record numbers – the public really responded to this story. In Kaninjaku, we wanted to showcase 17 pieces that had not previously been displayed,” said Dr Trinca.
“It’s a significant artistic collection and a credit to FORM – the not-for-profit arts organisation in Perth with whom we worked closely on this project,” he added.
Kaninjaku: Stories from the Canning Stock Route will be on display from August 3 in the Focus Gallery at the National Museum of Australia in Canberra. There are 37 objects in the exhibition, 17 of which have not been displayed before.