MY GRANDFATHER BEEN TELL ME A LOT OF STORY ABOUT LASSETER
Nora Abbott is a Pitjantjatjara and Western Arrernte woman who joined Tangentyere art centre in 2020, after a long career of painting. In her own words, ‘I love all in my mind. All my Country. All them Story’ – a sentiment that expresses the spirit of Abbott’s lively art practice.
In the animation My Grandfather been tell me a lot of story about Lasseter, we become immersed in a visual journey from a story told to Abbott by her grandfather. This historical account is about a ‘whitefella’ who travelled by camel across the Central Desert region in search of a large reef of gold. While recounting this story, Abbott said: ‘I was enthralled by my grandfather. He told me such interesting stories, such as the one about Lasseter, and how they (the Anangu) helped keep him alive with fresh meat and all, when he was starving. They gave him bush tucker and all, everything.’
Abbott’s animation poetically preserves this point in time, keeping alive that sacred moment of a story being both told and passed on. This story is evidently ever-present in her mind – it echoes across many of her paintings, expressed in a robust palette of vibrant tones and muted mark making, and candidly brought to life through a flurry of figurative and intimate scenes. Like many Aboriginal works, Abbott’s art assumes the role of cultural caretaker to this personal history.
As we are guided through the visual journey of My Grandfather been tell me a lot of story about Lasseter, the warmth of Abbott’s narration nurtures us through the moving imagery of this passed-down history, with her voice and language reminding us of the impenetrable magic that storytelling holds in shaping generations. - Kirra Weingarth
Thank you to AGSA and Tarnanthi