Aboriginal artist Billy Doolan joins this weekend’s La Fiera Festival, set within the bustling country town of Myrtleford, situated on Victoria’s Great Alpine Road. Celebrating the Italian way of life in the Ovens Valley, the festival this year expands to include an Italian/Aboriginal art connection.
The festival will this weekend host a selection of artworks from visiting Queensland Aboriginal artist Billy Doolan. Work from his Sicilian Dreaming exhibition – a touring show that was launched in Italy in 2012 and opened by the Australian Vice Ambassador to Rome will be on display at two venues: Michelini Wines and Myrtleford Gallery.
Billy Doolan was invited to visit Sicily in 2009 and was commissioned by President at Istituto di Cultura Sicilia Australia (ICSA), Maria Sanciolo-Bell to paint a series of paintings of significance of the region. Billy visited Mt Etna and its villages and soon developed a relationship between Etna and the people who live and work there. The painting Etna Dreaming, where the volcano is represented as the breast of a mother that provides nourishment to its children, is today a celebrated hero work of Billy’s visit to Sicily.
Etna Dreaming along with a personal statement by the artist was later part of a successful submission for a World heritage Listing which was granted by UNESCO in 2013. Three paintings from the Sicilian Dreaming collection will be on display at Michelini Winery and the remaining five at Myrtleford Gallery during La Fiera.
The collection of eight paintings toured Sicily and Italy from 2012 and was the most successful overseas tour of any Aboriginal artist.
La Fiera, May 14–19, 2019
Myrtleford, Victoria
For 2019 full programme of key events and to book, visit:
lafiera.com.au
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