Australian History
Book Details

art+soul

A journey into the world of Aboriginal art

Hetti Perkins

Hetti Perkins takes readers on a captivating journey into the world of Aboriginal art.

Opinion

“The art featured is inseparable from matters of the soul. Just as compelling as the work are the stories of the artists, their personalities, beliefs and often mischievous take on the world.”

Amruta Slee,Qantas The Australian Way,October 2010

“This lavishly illustrated book captures the energy and diversity of Aboriginal Art.”

Campus Review,October 2010

About this Title

FROM THE PUBLISHERS OF THE BESTSELLER FIRST AUSTRALIANS COMES the lavishly illustrated ART+SOUL, the companion book to the prime-time ABC TV series by the same name.

art+soul is inspired by the flourishing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art in Australia over the past thirty years, captivating viewers around the world with astonishingly powerful artworks.

Hetti Perkins, the distinguished Aboriginal art curator, travels to the startlingly beautiful landscapes of remote Arnhem Land, saltwater country and the desert heartlands of Central Australia, sharing with us the rare privilege of being welcomed into the homes and homelands of many senior artists.

This lavishly illustrated book captures the remarkable energy and diversity of Aboriginal art, from the Papunya Tula Artists, the renowned art movement that had its humble beginnings in the early 1970s, to Rover Thomas and his heirs' phenomenal achievements in the East Kimberley. It features the work of contemporary artists Destiny Deacon, Brenda L Croft and Michael Riley, and that of the celebrated Emily Kam Ngwarray, whose paintings revolutionised Australian art.

art+soul tells their stories-heartfelt, intimate and political.

The book includes more than 150 artworks, and photographs by Warwick Thornton, director of the accompanying television series and the award-winning film Samson and Delilah.

Watch the trailer: www.mup.com.au.
Find out more on Facebook: www.facebook.com

About the Author

Hetti Perkins is a member of the Eastern Arrernte and Kalkadoon Aboriginal communities. She is the Senior Curator of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. She has curated major survey exhibitions of Indigenous art, including Australia's representation at the Venice Biennale in 1997, and most recently the Australian Indigenous Art Commission at the Musée du Quai Branly in Paris. She edited One Sun One Moon: Aboriginal Art in Australia. Hetti is the eldest daughter of Charlie Perkins, the esteemed Indigenous activist.

Reviews

‘“This lavishly illustrated book captures the energy and diversity of Aboriginal Art.”’ (CAMPUS REVIEW, 15/10/2010)

‘“The art featured is inseparable from matters of the soul. Just as compelling as the work are the stories of the artists, their personalities, beliefs and often mischievous take on the world.”’ (AMRUTA SLEE, QANTAS THE AUSTRALIAN WAY, 15/10/2010) Read full review

‘“Hetti Perkins guides the audience on not only a discovery of new art, but a path of knowledge into the backgrounds of the artists profiled.”’ (EM, TV WEEK, 02/10/2010) Read full review

‘“A visually stunning three-part documentary series that follows Perkins around Australia as she visits the studios and homes of some of Australia's most significant indigenous contemporary artists while paying tribute to those of the past.”’ (WILLIAM YEOMAN, WEST AUSTRALIAN, 15/10/2010)

‘The book is produced to a high level of expertise, with crisp professional illustrations beautifully reproduced and comprehensively documented’ (THE CANBERRA TIMES, 13/11/2010)

Book Preview

978-0-522-85763-4