Nick Kupetsky is a Palawa man from Tasmania and has been an artist for well over twenty years. His works have been exhibited in the National Gallery of Victoria and he has exhibited extensively through being a member of Baluk Arts Aboriginal Art Centre based in Mornington VIC.
Nick's work is inspired by old black and white photographs of his ancestors from Tasmania that provide a historical reference to the events of European impact on Tasmanian Aboriginal people. Nicks large charcoal and ochre drawings create the overwhelming emotion of the people who have been pictured which express grief, loss, confusion and dismay. Nick captures the persons strength, determination and inherent cultural integrity despite of what is happening to them. Nick has used his art to research his background and understand his history as a Palawa man.
If you have ever been immersed within the wilderness, you might have felt the presence of dark and unresting Tasmanian history. Uncle Nick feels the ancestors, the warriors who remain staunch in their protection of Country, watching over visitors, quietly assessing their intentions. Uncle Nick paints these visions after they have settled in his memory. These two hunters are unaware of our presence; they exist in a past life.
Acrylic on Canvas
38.8 x 34 cm
#166-24