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\n Posted Indigenous visual art is usually associated with dot paintings but a growing number of First Nations artists are breaking away from tradition and finding a modern means of storytelling in the process. <\/p>\n Josh Muir, a Yorta Yorta, Barkindji and Gunditjmara artist, creates his unique, geometric-inspired artworks electronically.<\/p>\n His bold prints also come complete with an augmented reality experience through a mobile device.<\/p>\n While his style was vastly different from traditional Indigenous art, Muir said his creations were simply a modern take on Aboriginal storytelling.<\/p>\n “How I interpret the world is totally up to me and the result is obviously a contemporary version of storytelling.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Muir grew up in Ballarat and battled a drug addiction in his teens.<\/p>\n After an overdose and a stint in rehab, he found art helped him deal with his anxiety and depression.<\/p>\n “Catching the train to Melbourne frequently I’d see a lot of street art and I was really inspired by what I’d seen on the side of the train tracks.<\/p>\n “Family’s always been a big factor in my culture,” he said.<\/p>\n “[I] grew up in a strong family, had a strong sense of culture at a young age and obviously as I grew into my adolescence, I faced challenges in my identity.<\/p>\n “It wasn’t until a bit later on in life I started to embrace my identity a bit more and I wasn’t as confused about how I fitted into the larger scheme of things.”<\/p>\n At 28, Muir is a multi-award winning artist whose work has featured at Melbourne’s White Night festival<\/a>, on one of Melbourne’s art trams<\/a> and even on Richmond’s Dreamtime footy jumper.<\/p>\n “I feel like the idea of contemporary Aboriginal art is something that I set the tone for and pave the way for and I’m very proud of my efforts.<\/p>\n “Hopefully some people can take inspiration from it.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Shonae Hobson, the First Nations curator at the Bendigo Art Gallery where Muir’s exhibition is on display, said Muir was one of a number of Indigenous artists who were experimenting with more modern styles.<\/p>\n “Josh’s practice is quite unique because he does all of his stuff online on the computer.<\/p>\n “He does these really beautiful graphic rendered digital prints,” she said.<\/p>\n “A lot of our artists are pushing the boundaries of what really is considered Indigenous art.<\/p>\n “Whether that’s working in different materials, you have artists like Reko Rennie <\/a>and Brook Andrew<\/a> who use a lot of bold, neon installations to really challenge Western discourses around what Indigenous art is.”<\/p>\n However Ms Hobson said at the core, was the same storytelling tradition.<\/p>\n “It’s still traditional \u2014 the stories and the narratives are still there.<\/p>\n “It doesn’t matter what medium they’re working in it’s always going to be inherently traditional and it’s about living cultures today.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n For Jingili and Mudburra artist Nish Cash, what began as graffiti has grown into something much more profound.<\/p>\n “What I did start off doing wasn’t, I would say, a legit art form but now it’s manifested into something that’s quite culturally significant.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Cash uses spray-painting to tell the stories of her culture, identity and to empower women.<\/p>\n She said it was not surprising to see the Indigenous art scene moving in this direction.<\/p>\n “For what we do, what I’ve been doing, the streets are the way of telling that story.<\/p>\n “In all art movements there’s progression,” she said.<\/p>\n “We have a lot of young people coming up with political messages within their art form.”<\/p>\n Cash said visual art, like sculpture and print clothing, was just one of the many mediums for storytelling.<\/p>\n “There are so many other styles and variations of art forms … this is just one of many.<\/p>\n “I think the hip-hop scene and rapping in itself and dance, this is our new generation’s way of telling the story.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n \n\tTopics:<\/strong><\/p>\n \tcontemporary-art<\/a>,<\/p>\n \tarts-and-entertainment<\/a>,<\/p>\n \taboriginal<\/a>,<\/p>\n \tindigenous-culture<\/a>,<\/p>\n \tindigenous-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander<\/a>,<\/p>\n \tvisual-art<\/a>,<\/p>\n
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\n December 01, 2019 15:14:43
\n <\/span>\n <\/p>\n![\"Josh](\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/image\/11753800-3x2-700x467.jpg\" "\\"Psychosis")
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\n Indigenous artist Josh Muir says his piece Psychosis depicts how he overcame his mental illness through art. (ABC Central Victoria: Natalie Kerr)<\/span>
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\n Art and its therapeutic connection to addiction and grief<\/a><\/div>\n
\n Graphic artist’s Indigenous tales to be projected onto gallery walls<\/a><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n
![\"Geometric](\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/image\/11753934-3x2-700x467.jpg\" "\\"Trapped")
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\n Muir hopes his work will inspire the next generation of Indigenous artists. (ABC Central Victoria: Natalie Kerr)<\/span>
\n <\/a><\/div>\n![\"Josh](\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/image\/11753790-1x1-340x340.jpg\" "\\"Death")
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\n Muir’s artwork ‘Death’ is part of his ‘What’s On Your Mind’ exhibition until March 2020. (ABC Central Victoria: Natalie Kerr)<\/span>
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![\"Josh](\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/image\/11753720-3x2-700x467.jpg\" "\\"Connection")
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\n First Nations curator Shonae Hobson inspired the idea for Muir’s piece Connection to cover the wall with this geometric pattern. (ABC Central Victoria: Natalie Kerr)<\/span>
\n <\/a><\/div>\n‘It is still traditional’<\/h2>\n
![\"Pink,](\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/image\/9171970-1x1-340x340.jpg\" "\\"Rennie's")
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\n Rennie’s ‘Always was always will be’ geometric artwork stood out on this inner-Sydney building. (Supplied: Reko Rennie)<\/span>
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![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/radionational\/image\/3175804-3x2-700x467.jpg\" "\\"Heritage")
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\n Brook Andrew says his Wiradjuri heritage inspired the patterns in this neon installation. (Supplied: Museum of Contemporary Art)<\/span>
\n <\/a><\/div>\nStreet art inspires female artist<\/h2>\n
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![\"Spray-painted](\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/image\/11753920-3x2-700x467.jpg\" "\\"'Legit'")
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\n Cash’s original spray-painted street art. (Facebook: Nish Cash)<\/span>
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![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/image\/11753892-3x2-700x467.jpg\" "\\"Nish")
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\n Cash’s piece celebrating International Women’s Day in 2018. (Facebook: Nish Cash)<\/span>
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