Since time immemorial, the Indigenous people of Australia have used art as a means of passing down their culture, traditions and lore. Their artworks have provided a vital continuity between the generations, directly connecting them to their Dreamtime heritage. Bringing together works from across the country, Mossenson Galleries is pleased to present the second of our annual survey exhibition of young Indigenous artists continuing this proud tradition.

The only survey exhibition of its kind, 30 Under 30 showcases the talent and innovation of 30 emerging artists born since 1979. In keeping with our commitment to the development of emerging Indigenous artists, we are proud to be staging this exhibition in both Perth and Melbourne. The Perth exhibition will be opened at 115 Hay Street, Subiaco at 6pm on Wedesday 13 May 2009 by Dr Stefano Carboni, Director, Art Gallery of Western Australia.

30 Under 30 is a celebration of youth and the continuity of Indigenous culture in remote and urban centres. Whilst restricted to artists under 30 years of age, it is an exhibition that draws sustenance and inspiration from the example of their legendary predecessors. Among the 30 artists included in the exhibition, many are descendents and pupils of some of the nation's most important senior artists. In their work we see the palpable influence of their mentors, but also the innovation and virtuosity of emerging artists pushing the boundaries of Indigenous art practice. These include young artists such as Maath Maralngurra: the grandson of the great Bardayal 'Lofty' Nadjamerrek; John Scott Rowe Tjakamarra the nephew of Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula and Taralyn Major the granddaughter of Long Jack Phillipus. These artists have enjoyed the tutelage of some of Australia's great masters, and in turn have begun to develop their own unique artistic practice taking the traditional stories of their families and extending them into profoundly expressive contemporary statements.

These works balance reverence and respect for their ancestors with the freshness and vigour of youthful experimentation. In some instances, this experimentation takes the viewer into new and unexplored territories such as Utopia artist Patrick Kunoth Pwerle, who has taken the quirky observation sculpture of his parents Dinni Kunoth Kemarre and Josie Kunoth Petyarre, and developed a uniquely Indigenous form of modernist sculpture. Recently selected to participate in the exhibition Menagerie: Contemporary Indigenous Sculpture at Object: The Australian Centre for Craft and Design, Kunoth Pwerle's work explores the reductive potential of figurative sculpture, whilst maintaining a defiant connection to his homelands. In his rugged carvings, the natural form is given expressive precedence, creating works of a totemic intensity. A similar strategy might be seen in the wild sculptural figures of Tristam Malbunka, an emerging artist from the town camps of Alice Springs. Working through the Yarrenyty-Arltere Centre in Alice Springs. Malbunka's figures of humans, animals and rodeo-riders are lovingly worked from available materials. In presenting his wide-eyed observations of Indigenous life on the fringes through multi-media assemblages of cloth, buttons and beads, Malbunka presents a metaphor for identity creation at the fringes of western society. Using a form of bricolage, Malbunka's forms come to life as a metaphor for the ramshackle recycling of the fringe. In doing so, they show the resourcefulness and alchemy of this process of identity creation.

Hand selected from communities in the Kimberley, Arnhem Land, the Central Desert and metropolitan areas by Dr Diane Mossenson, the works included in 30 Under 30 reflect the diversity and innovation of Indigenous art practice today. According to Dr Mossenson, 'This survey provides a unique opportunity to witness a new emerging body of artists who in time will take the mantle of the great senior artists who have gone before them. These artists represent the future of Indigenous art in Australia and the continuity of the ancient culture and traditions that are held in these artworks. It is not often that you see the legacy handed from one generation to the next. It is an enormous privilege to witness these young artists working hand in hand with their elders to make sure that things are done in the proper way and that these designs and stories are continued into the 21st Century.'

Mossenson Galleries are proud to present this important survey of young Indigenous artists. 30 Under 30: A New Generation of Indigenous Art features:

For more information, please contact Mossenson Galleries on (03) 9417 6694 or (08) 9388 2899 or art@mossensongalleries.com.au.