Exhibition Review


Samantha Spreitzer
Exhibition Review
ART 350S
Date of Visit: March 24, 2018

Larrakitj (Burial Poles), various artists, 2004-2015, various dimensions

            The work, or rather works, I chose were the burial poles as part of the Marking the Infinite exhibition at the Nevada Museum of Art showcasing contemporary art from aboriginal artists in Australia. There are twelve burial poles in all, each unique, but all combining either wood or bark and pigments, as well as feathers in those created by Lena Yarinkura and Bob Burrawal. They follow the style of much of the aboriginal art displayed both in this exhibition and previous exhibitions I’ve seen the museum put on, though this scale is certainly larger. There is a focus on patterns created with dots, lines, and other shapes on backgrounds that can range from black to brightly colored to white.
            Each piece stands on its own, of course, as they were not largely created necessarily to be shown together but nevertheless create their own harmony in doing so. This comes about because of their complementary styles as well as the fact that each is the artists’ own take on the same thing—a burial pole. That said, those done by the same artist can for the most part be easily identified, given their own techniques for the poles. They are tall things, all at least six or seven feet high with the largest being perhaps ten feet tall. As such, and knowing they are burial poles, it’s easy to feel that each marks something important. In this case, it would be the dead traditionally placed inside the poles. They are beautiful examples of the cross-cultural tradition of honoring the dead, each with their own lovely designs.

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