Painting - "Connections to the land and sea"
Production date
Apr 2021
Country
Australia
State/Province
Queensland
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Object detail
Description
Acrylic painting on canvas
Classification
INDIGENOUS CULTURES Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander painting
Maker
Production date
Apr 2021
Production place
Measurements
L 900 x W 600 mm
Media/Materials description
Acrylic painting on canvas
Signature/Marks
"Jumbo"
History and use
'Connections to the land and sea' was commissioned from local First Nations artist, Jumbo Prior.
Jumbo Prior is a Bwgcolman, Birri-Gubba and Mamu man. Jumbo was born on Palm Island and grew up in Cherbourg. A self-taught artist, Jumbo has been painting for around eight years. He recently designed the Toyota Cowboys 2021 NRL Indigenous Jersey, with his work, ‘Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Dreamtime Unity’.
'You will see the sun in the top left hand corner which represents the ‘giver of life’ to all peoples.
The footprints represent all Townsville people and their connection to land and sea, following the waterways that flow from the Ross River Dam, through channels of creeks and past the museum, out to the Breakwater area. These waterways are represented by the swirling circles used throughout the artwork.
The arches represent families and tribes that connect to the land on which the museum sits.
The centre circle represents the museum as the central gathering or meeting place for all people of Townsville and the surrounding areas, inviting people to come and learn about the past, present and future.
The handprints, big and small, pay respect to the cultural diversity of the region.
The ten circles connected at the bottom of the work represent the journey that people have taken to reach the land around the museum - from different communities, suburbs and towns. The cross-hatching symbolises the pathway taken by all to reach the museum.
The bottom triangles depict the journey between mountains and sea, representing the landscape that surrounds Townsville and its communities. '
- Jumbo Prior (Jesse James), 2021
‘Connections to the land and sea’ was featured as a large scale mural in the Museum of Tropical Queensland First Nations Foyer from May 2021 - October 2022.
Learn more about the First Nations Foyer project at Museum of Tropical Queensland: https://mtq.qm.qld.gov.au/Events+and+Exhibitions/Exhibitions/Permanent/First+Nations+Foyer
Jumbo Prior is a Bwgcolman, Birri-Gubba and Mamu man. Jumbo was born on Palm Island and grew up in Cherbourg. A self-taught artist, Jumbo has been painting for around eight years. He recently designed the Toyota Cowboys 2021 NRL Indigenous Jersey, with his work, ‘Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Dreamtime Unity’.
'You will see the sun in the top left hand corner which represents the ‘giver of life’ to all peoples.
The footprints represent all Townsville people and their connection to land and sea, following the waterways that flow from the Ross River Dam, through channels of creeks and past the museum, out to the Breakwater area. These waterways are represented by the swirling circles used throughout the artwork.
The arches represent families and tribes that connect to the land on which the museum sits.
The centre circle represents the museum as the central gathering or meeting place for all people of Townsville and the surrounding areas, inviting people to come and learn about the past, present and future.
The handprints, big and small, pay respect to the cultural diversity of the region.
The ten circles connected at the bottom of the work represent the journey that people have taken to reach the land around the museum - from different communities, suburbs and towns. The cross-hatching symbolises the pathway taken by all to reach the museum.
The bottom triangles depict the journey between mountains and sea, representing the landscape that surrounds Townsville and its communities. '
- Jumbo Prior (Jesse James), 2021
‘Connections to the land and sea’ was featured as a large scale mural in the Museum of Tropical Queensland First Nations Foyer from May 2021 - October 2022.
Learn more about the First Nations Foyer project at Museum of Tropical Queensland: https://mtq.qm.qld.gov.au/Events+and+Exhibitions/Exhibitions/Permanent/First+Nations+Foyer
Associated person
Registration number
QE40778
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