Annandale Galleries

Posted: 27 Sep 2011  |  By: Elizabeth Fortescue

There’s a converted Masonic hall in a leafy corner of Sydney’s inner-west where a taste for rich eclecticism brings together the art of some of the most disparate places on earth.

At Annandale Galleries, in the suburb of the same name, you’re just as likely to see the work of contemporary South African artist William Kentridge as you are to see new bark paintings by Arnhem Land artists Owen Yalandja or Djambawa Marawili.

You might see paintings straight from the studio of a prominent Australian artist such as Guy Warren and original print works by international modern masters such as Picasso, Matisse and Miró. This fresh, experimental approach has opened the eyes of many collectors to realms of art they might not have otherwise contemplated enjoying, let alone buying, says Annandale Galleries’ Bill Gregory.

Gregory and his wife Anne opened Annandale Galleries in 1990. They didn’t exhibit Indigenous art at first, although they had been well aware of it since 1985. But in 1995, they were inspired by seeing an exhibition called Rainbow Sugarbag and Moon, featuring the work of Lofty Bardayal Nadjamerrek and Mick Kubarkku and curated by Margie West.

“Anne and I were very impressed [with the exhibition] and we felt it was ridiculous to be in Australia and not be involved in Aboriginal art,” Gregory says. “I think the Aboriginal art is the most interesting art to come out of the country. It’s the one kind of art which sets Australia apart from other places.”

Gregory had always admired bark painting, so he began his foray into the Indigenous art scene by obtaining letters of introduction to the art centre managers in Yirrkala and Maningrida in Arnhem Land. Negotiations proceeded, and in 1995 Annandale advertised its first Aboriginal art show Big Bark. This was followed in 1996 by an exhibition of art from Yirrkala called Big Pole. That year, the gallery also had its first Maningrida show with John Mawurndjul and John Bulun Bulun.

Annandale Galleries has consistently dealt with the art centres in Maningrida (Maningrida Arts and Culture) and Yirrkala (Buku-Larrnggay Mulka), and mounts a show of work from each community every year.

“I go up there at least once a year, sometimes twice. So I’ve established relationships with the art advisers,” Gregory says. “I visit the artists, visit the outstations, see them in their home ground, that sort of thing. It’s a complicated process. Usually I go up around this time of year [April] to confirm an exhibition that’s happening, say, in July, and to organise the exhibition for the following year. Andrew Blake and Will Stubbs, two of the arts advisers [at Yirrkala] have been incredibly important. Apolline Kohen was very important at Maningrida.”

Annandale Gallery always deals with Aboriginal art centres, believing this is the ethical approach to bringing Indigenous art into the city from remote areas. When it began showing barks, the gallery had established a reputation for showing Australian contemporary art and overseas modern masters. The gallery’s existing customers were initially resistant to the appreciation of Indigenous art of any kind, let alone barks. But Gregory says they swiftly became fascinated by the sight of imposing bark paintings in one exhibition, and work by Paul Boston, Robert Hunter, Dale Hickey, Robert Scott or David Bomberg in the next. “A lot of [the gallery’s clients] were able to make the leap,” Gregory says. Annandale’s strength lay in its not being “an Aboriginal art gallery in inverted commas”.

“We just showed Aboriginal art as contemporary art. So we might have an exhibition of, say, Brian Blanchflower from Perth and the next exhibition might be John Mawurndjul and the following show might be Ivon Hitchens or Miró. So that was the routine of the gallery. People were fascinated by that, and it gave a lot of credibility to the Aboriginal stuff. “From the start we did catalogues, which nobody was doing for Arnhem Land art. They only had group shows. There were never any solo shows. So we tried to do it that way.”

Annandale Galleries represents the great Maningrida bark painter John Mawurndjul, but Gregory says Gunybi Ganambarr from Yirrkala is now the gallery’s biggest single star. “His show in late 2009 was a sellout,” he says. “Five pieces went to the National Gallery of Australia. He’s now been included in the Art Gallery of Western Australia Indigenous art awards.”

Gregory says Owen Yalandja from Maningrida has also become a major presence and he has high hopes for Liyawaday Wirrpanda, wife of Djambawa Marawili.

Gregory estimates that the gallery’s business is roughly divided into thirds between Aboriginal art, Australian contemporary art and international art. “In a London or New York gallery, we’d be considered all over the shop with our focus,” Gregory says. “In Australia, though, it’s possible to be that eclectic, and it makes it exciting. You can go after all kinds of things.”

The gallery suffered a blow in 2009 with the death of its firm friend and collaborator, David Baker. Baker, a retired advertising mogul, was an Oceanic art expert who was tireless in fording leech-infested rivers and chopping through the jungle to reach the homes of isolated villagers such as the Omie people of New Guinea. Annandale showed the Omie bark cloths in 2007 and 2009.

While Annandale feels Baker’s loss keenly, it will continue its interest in Oceanic art, Gregory says.

Images from top:

Annandale Galleries, installation photograph.

Annandale Galleries, installation photograph.

Annandale Galleries, installation photograph.

William Kentridge, Eight Figures, 2010, linocut on paper, trial proof, 85 x 185cm.

Owen Yalandja, Carved and painted figures, 2008, natural earth pigments on wood, 250 x 18cm and 216.5 x 12cm.

Click here for further information on Annandale Galleries .