Featuring over 110 visual and musical artists including Emily Kame Kngwarreye, Tommy Watson, Clifford Possum, Baker Boy and Yothu Yindi - Connection is among the most significant cultural experiences undertaken in Australia.
Back in 1996, Nintendo’s Mario 64 opened up the ultimate fantasy of being able to jump inside a painting, travelling from Mushroom Castle into the technicoloured worlds of Bob-omb Battlefield and Jolly Rogers Bay. Grande Experiences have made this fantasy a reality through the 3,000 square-metre immersive gallery space, The LUME Melbourne.
A permanent fixture of the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, The LUME Melbourne has transported visitors into world-famous paintings such as Claude Monet’s ‘Water Lilies’, and Edgar Degas’ ‘Ballerinas’. In 2021 they brought narratives of Netherlands, Paris, Arles, Saint-Rémy and Auvers-sur-Oise to the multi-sensory space through Van Gogh Alive with Starry Night and Sunflower.
Now they are connecting the dots of Australia’s most celebrated First Nations artists, inviting visitors inside of works of the likes of Emily Kame Kngwarreye, Tommy Watson, Clifford, Gabriella and Michelle Possum Nungurrayi, Anna Pitjara, and Lin Onus for Connection.
Stay up to date with what’s happening within the region’s art scene here.
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Developed across two years, Connection comprises over 500 digitised works from over 110 visual and musical artists in the largest representation of First Peoples art and culture ever assembled.
Set to a score of First Nations music, Connection comes to life through an emotional soundtrack comprising legends like Yothu Yindi, Archie Roach, Emily Wurramara, and Gurrumul; renowned composers like William Barton; and emerging musicians like Alice Skye and Baker Boy.
One of the artists involved is proud Gadigal woman of the Eora nation and a neo-contemporary Indigenous artist, Kate Constantine, best known as Konstantina, presenting multiple pieces including her Raining Series.
“I think what’s so beautiful and immersive about the experience is that something that has been quite two-dimensional, or even three-dimensional in some cases, becomes more than three-dimensional. It’s almost four-dimensional because you are in the works. The works have been animated so it looks alive,” she explains.
“My Raining Series pieces actually look like they’re raining in the room, but then you put yourself into that place and it actually rains on you like you’re part of the installation. It’s quite overwhelming, to be honest. It’s epic!”
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The works of Konstantina are narrative building, drawing from the bygone art forms of her ancestral past in a reimagined and recontextualised form, integrating traditional dot painting into a modern context. Connection is giving her a space to tell her truth whilst also weaving it in with those of her fellow First Nations artists to create a giant tapestry of First Nations stories.
“As Aboriginal people, we are spiritually, physically, and emotionally connected to country, and country isn’t just the physical landscape; it’s the water, the air, the sky, the animals. We have this sense of responsibility and duty to our country and it’s a very reciprocal relationship. So us artists are intrinsically connected already.
“What I think is so beautiful about the show is that there are over 100 artists involved between the musicians and the painters, and we are from all over Australia. We all don’t speak the same language, we have different cultural practices, we have different songs, different dances, but together this show has brought us together in what I would say is the largest volume of Aboriginal artists in one single show.”
Having opened Friday 23 June, Connection comes at a historic time in Australian history. The upcoming referendum on the Voice to parliament, which if the yes campaign prevails, will see the amendment of the Constitution to formally recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples with the creation of a new body to represent their interests in the running of this country. However, if the referendum campaign tilts towards no, it will be a blow to the processes of reconciliation.
“I think for the first time I’ve truly felt embraced. Think about what The LUME has had before – Van Gogh who is arguably only one of the most amazing painters ever in the world, not just in Australia, and Monet, and we’re being held up and we’re having this spotlight shone on us as this amazing movement in art, but also this cultural moment in time.
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“I always think that art can change the world like that. Part of my practice is around truth-telling and identity and ensuring the sharing and continuation of culture. So for me, this moment in time is a document. We’re all going to remember this year. We’re all gonna remember 2023. It’s the only time that there’s been a referendum since like the 90’s and before that, I think 100 years or so. This is going to be a moment where we all remember and I’m really proud of the work. I think that we’ve come together and made something pretty spectacular,” explains Constantine.
“It’s a joy to say that I, as a mum and as an Aboriginal woman and as an Aboriginal artist, am afforded this opportunity to change history, to change the way people view us, to change the way people view our culture and to accept people to come and walk alongside us.”
Connection – The LUME Melbourne at Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre is open daily for visitors, including a bunch of additional activities and premium experiences. Book your experience here.
