Intro and Reko Rennie

Indigenous Australian Art
ASK AMERICANS what they know about Australian art and their thoughts often
turn to dot paintings, ochre colours and of course the kangaroo.
But Aboriginal artist Reko Rennie aims to challenge that stereotype.
Rennie uses spray paint, stencils, photography, video and sculpture to produce
vivid Andy Warhol-influenced works.
Reko Rennie's work Big Red considers the image of the kangaroo. "There's this
popular romantic notion of what an Aboriginal person should look like - that it's
someone living in a remote community doing dot painting and dancing but it's
not the case."
He says the majority of Aboriginal Australians live in urban environments - and

his art, which includes a vibrant hot pink kangaroo titled Big Red, aims to reflect
that. "Everyone can relate to the kangaroo and internationally it's a great image
… but it also has a powerful relationship to our communities.“
The 37-year-old's passion for art began as a teenager in the form of street
graffiti and it was not until he was older that he realised he could use his talent
"to express my identity as an Aboriginal man in an urban environment".
Rennie says his vibrant use of colours is influenced by the era of pop art, in
particular Andy Warhol, and the geometric patterns are significant to his
culture - the diamond iconography is used by his community of north-western
NSW.
He says that while the bold colours and images might "look pretty on the
surface", they carry powerful social and political messages.
Through my artwork I explore issues of
identity, race, justice, health, education, land
rights and Stolen Generations.
I focus on what it means to be an urban

Aboriginal man in contemporary society and
use flora and fauna imagery to represent my
community.
Big Red stands confidently upright, defiantly

staking his claim to space, power, land and
culture.
The Australian coat of arms features a kangaroo, one of Australia’s national
symbols.
Despite the harsh Australian environment and significant encroachments on their

habitat, kangaroo populations have escaped the endangered status that affects
many other Australian animals.
Seeing analogies with the post-colonial experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander people, Rennie’s kangaroo becomes a symbol of Aboriginal survival and
invincibility.
The concentric diamond motif is a cultural identifier of the Kamilaroi people and
wooden objects, like shields, would have historically been incised with this design.
These mash-ups are fundamental to graffiti culture, but they are also key to
understanding Rennie’s politics and his articulation of the tensions of being an
urban Aboriginal man in contemporary society.
T2 Building in
Darlinghurst,
Sydney
One of his works, titled Aborigine and created through stencilling, was inspired by a stamp from the 1950s
that depicted a traditional Aboriginal man. About 100 million of these stamps were circulated around the
world at a time when Aborigines were not recognised as citizens of Australia nor allowed to vote, he says. "It's
such a beautiful image which was exported around the world, advertising this kitschy Australia with its
Aboriginal people, but at the same time we did not have citizenship," he said.
Rennie believes he is part of a growing number of contemporary Aboriginal artists who are helping to educate
people on the "diverse range of Aboriginal art in Australia".
"I'm an authentic Aboriginal but I'm not drawing dots. It's been really amazing to share my connection to the
country, community and family through imagery and iconography."
Reko Rennie has been commissioned
by Lendlease to paint a sweeping
1500-square-metre mural at
Barangaroo. It will cover buildings,
hoardings and rooftops and –
weather permitting – will be
completed in early May. The
Melbourne-based artist’s work draws
heavily from his urban upbringing and
his Indigenous heritage and the
symbols and iconography of the
Kamilaroi people of northern NSW.
“The title of the work is As the Crow

Flies,” says Rennie. “The idea has
come from an image I drew of crow’s
feather that I’d found lying on the
ground some time ago.” The feather
will become a repeated graphic motif,
featuring Rennie’s signature blue and
pink.
“The feather is all about the transient

nature of people moving in the area,
it’s like the wind blowing the feather
around. There is movement in the
patterning and style of the work,” he
continues. “It’s also a reference to the
Aboriginal people and the land. It
always was, always will be, Aboriginal
land.”
VIVID Sydney
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Indigenous Australian Art

But Aboriginal artist Reko Rennie aims to challenge that stereotype.

He says the majority of Aboriginal Australians live in urban environments - and

I focus on what it means to be an urban

Big Red stands confidently upright, defiantly

Despite the harsh Australian environment and significant encroachments on their

“The title of the work is As the Crow

“The feather is all about the transient

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