Due to the rule of no photos in the gallery, this post will not show any photos of the actual art and will have less images than previous posts.
Ok, I was not expecting to experience what I did at the Mandalong Aboriginal Art Gallery today. For a small rural art gallery, I didn’t expect much, as negative as that may sound. But this place did not disappoint, and the people were incredibly welcoming. And they had ducks? And peacocks, chickens, whatever guinea fowl are, and the best surprise I’ve ever had in my entire life! Keep reading and you’ll see what I mean!
Mandalong Art Gallery specialises in Australian Aboriginal artworks, crafts and giftware. The owners source their products from multiple Indigenous artists across Australia, many of them from central Australia or local to the area.
To get to this art gallery, we had to drive past quite a few farms with horses and cows. So it was a great trip for me as the passenger princess! It was also a great allusion to what we were about to see at Mandalong Gallery. Yes, we were here for the art, gifts and culture, but they also had farm animals on their property! As we were driving up the driveway, we noticed a few quackers waddling out to greet us at the top. Customer service must be the gallery’s specialty because as soon as we hopped out of the car into the cold rain, a lady came running out with an umbrella for my partner and me! I just love this small-town charm when it comes to customer service! You really don’t get anything like it in big cities.
After saying hello to the ducks and giving them something to eat, we followed the gallery’s curator as she welcomed us in and told us to have a look around. For a smaller gallery, they definitely know how to use the space well! There were paintings hung on the walls (obviously), a cabinet full of jewellery, bookshelves with giftwares and smaller artworks, a large table in the centre of the room filled with unframed art to look through and drawers below it to find even more art! And then at the back of the gallery, there were tracks on the ceiling for you to pull out larger pieces of art, like a giant folder of paintings.
Despite focusing on one particular culture, there were actually many different styles of art on display at the Mandalong Gallery. There were obviously the more traditional paintings of the Australian land, animals or Indigenous stories displayed through art, and then there were more modern styles of bush medicine that reminded me of Australian plants like the Waratah flower. That’s what I find so interesting about Aboriginal art, despite looking so simple, everything tells a story. Even in these more simple artworks, the colours and brush strokes are what give meaning to the piece.
The gallery curators were by no means shy or unknowledgeable! They were happy to answer any questions we had, and answer them they did! The lady we were talking to went through all the different symbols within many of the artworks and what they mean, explaining that once you know the significance behind the symbols and shapes, you can almost read the paintings like a storybook. She walked us over to one of the paintings which was absolutely stunning, and put into words what the artist was displaying with paint. A view of the Seven Sisters constellation looking over the Australian land. Honestly, seeing how beautiful this painting was, and now knowing the meaning behind it, if I had the money I would buy it instantly! But sadly, my job doesn’t pay for precious art like this.
So, let’s look at the more affordable items in our price range! They had a lot of home and giftware for sale as well, like coasters, teddy bears, drink bottles, creams and lotions. We were allowed to try out some testers of the hand cream, which smelt amazing and felt even better. But what I finally settled on was a beautifully painted wooden boomerang, tying two parts of Indigenous Australian culture together; art and hunting.
You thought this story was over now that I’ve bought my art. Well, think again! Like I said in the beginning, Mandalong Gallery is home to quite a variety of animals, mostly birds. But they had a little surprise behind the actual gallery. The curator led us outside to say a quick hello to the birds on the property. It had stopped raining by now so we could actually admire them without getting wet and cold. The male peacock was still a little shy, however, since he had not long shed his remarkable tail feathers. Anyway, we kept on walking until we were at the goat pen. Yes, goats! And guess what was in the goat pen… A baby goat! I was lucky enough to hold this precious little kid that was 1 DAY OLD! She was falling asleep in my arms. I’ll never forget that moment.
My experience at Mandalong Art Gallery was definitely not what I was expecting, but I wouldn’t have it any other way! It was nice to take a step back from all of the bigger art museums and showcases, to one that lets you discover Aboriginal art at your own pace. It also helps to have someone so interested and knowledgeable on the art so that you can ask as many questions as you want, and have a conversation like a normal human would, instead of feeling as though you’re in a business meeting. Plus, small businesses and galleries like this always have the best surprises. Aka the ducks and baby goat! See you next week travellers!
The photos in this post were taken by my partner and I.
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