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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-02-24 Daily Xml
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ABDULLA, MR I.W.

Mr MARSHALL (Norwood) (15:40): I rise today to acknowledge the passing of Ian Wayne Abdulla, a proud South Australian, and one of Australia's most important Indigenous artists. He and his twin brother, Rodney, were born under a tree on the banks of the Murray River at Swan Reach in February 1947. Mr Abdulla was one of 12 children born to an Aboriginal-Afghan man from Hawker and a Ngarrindjeri woman from Raukkan. Ian had a hard start to life, surviving the River Murray flood of 1956 and living in various foster homes and missions throughout his childhood. As an adult, he lived a short time in Adelaide before returning to the Riverland with the Parks and Wildlife Service.

Ian did not discover painting until 1988 when he attended a screen printing course but once he started delving into the art world he was to make a lasting and valuable impact upon the contemporary Australian art scene. Ian Abdulla's art vividly recalled his childhood memories of growing up with the Ngarrindjeri people of the Riverland, often reflecting his experiences of dispossession and the marginalising nature of seasonal work and scavenging.

Ian's paintings were deeply personal and often confronting and, yet, at their heart there existed a love and joy for the Indigenous community of the Riverland, and for the beautiful land he had grown up on. His deceptively simple paintings continued the tradition of Indigenous storytelling. Often funny and carefree, they also hinted at the anger and violence felt by Aboriginal people growing up in poverty.

The River Murray was also ubiquitous in his work, a reminder of the importance of the river to Ngarrindjeri culture and of the threats which it is increasingly facing. Having lived on the River Murray for his entire life, Ian was witness to the devastating changes to the river, and his fears about the impact of water allocations and weirs was evident in his artwork.

Ian's work came to national prominence in 1991 following his first solo exhibition at the newly established Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute here in Adelaide, and from that point he became known as one of the leading contemporary Indigenous artists. His work was so popular with galleries and collectors that he only managed to keep one of his paintings in his own house, such was the demand for his art.

In 1991, Ian was named South Australian Indigenous Artist of the year and was awarded an Australia Council fellowship in 1992. Ian had a book about his art and life published, held over 32 solo exhibitions, and was involved in 12 group art exhibitions. He often showed his art at the AP Bond Gallery in my electorate of Norwood, where I was lucky enough to meet him several times, and to share some conversations about his art. He was strongly promoted by Tony Bond, the proprietor of that gallery which specialises in promoting Indigenous artists, many of them from South Australia on the APY lands.

His art is housed in every major collection in Australia including the National Gallery in Canberra and the Art Gallery of South Australia on North Terrace, and I cannot recommend enough taking the time to look at his work to all of the members of this parliament.

Ian Abdulla died this January in the Berri Hospital in his Ngarrindjeri homeland. He is survived by his children Tracey, Joseph and Owen, and nine grandchildren. His funeral was held in the Riverland earlier this month and was attended by the member for Chaffey, Tim Whetstone, who said that it was a most moving, appropriate and wonderful funeral to attend. Although his humour, compassion and dedication to his people and his land will be greatly missed, his art will live on, leaving his unique talent and love of the Riverland to be discovered by the next generation.

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