The Manning Regional Art Gallery has been hosting a contemporary Australian basket making exhibition called wovenforms. I attended the opening yesterday. What a visual feast to see this collection.

Fifty Eight basket makers contributed to the exhibition, mostly Indigenous makers with non-indigenous makers from a variety of cultural heritage.

To me this collection was a weavers kaleidoscope into Australian history to date, cultural development and aspirations. Indigenous weavers were identified in the catalogue by their group, whereas for non-indigenous weavers it was only where they lived. This strongly signified the differences in approaches. One works within a social context in a group, the other in a solitary, individual context. One is seeking to preserve what defines them, the other to promote what defines them. One emphasizes the value of functionality, the other conceptual non-function.

The top basket is by Mavis Ngallametta from Aurukun, west Cape York Peninsula in Queensland. The other two baskets are by Jill Nganjmirra from Mamadawerre, Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory. I have detailed the exquisite handle finishes here and there is a whole world of information on handles alone. These have been refined by the makers for new uses and needs for the baskets. Disappointingly, yet predictably, some of the traditional items such as eel traps are now woven for the ‘art market’ and are not functional. They need to be made from a stonger fiber such as Lawyer vine to actually catch an eel.

Baskets are such a humble art from. Mostly not considered art, I think because of their extreme vulnerability. They are so transient – they remind us too much of our own transience.