Indigenous Art Exhibit Complemented by Film Series

In an effort to bring to light the artistic achievements of indigenous peoples in Australia, the Harvard Art Museums presented the film “Beneath Clouds” as part of its film series Sunday.

The movie screenings, titled “Together, Alone: Indigenous Film Now,” are held in the Art Museums every Sunday afternoon and designed to complement the Museums’ special exhibition on Australian aboriginal art open through Sept. 18. The film series is cosponsored by the Harvard Native American Program.

The exhibit includes works from permanent collections in Australian national galleries and portrays landscape art in a way that is distinctive from that of European or American art.

Unlike European-American landscape technique, which depicts the subject from a horizontal perspective, as if looking at the subject on a plane, “Australian aboriginal art looks from above, looks from a bird’s eye position, which produces extraordinary perspectives,” English professor W. James Simpson said. Simpson is a member of the Committee on Australian Studies, which helped plan the art exhibit.

The films and exhibit aim both to recognize the artistic achievements of Australian aboriginals and portray the reality of Australian indigenous life from insider perspectives. Jason Packineau, the community coordinator for the Native American Program, said the films in particular are an “additional way for people to understand what the aboriginal lifestyle is like and what the aboriginal experience is all about.”

This week’s screening was Australian aboriginal filmmaker Ivan Sen’s first feature movie, which recounts the story of two teenagers who cross paths on their journey to find their purpose and identity. As the artwork in the exhibit, the cinematography of the film captures the unique experience of Australian aboriginals, with a particular focus on Australia’s landscape.

“The land itself is a kind of character,” the art exhibit’s curator Stephen Gilchrist said.

The film depicted striking race inequalities in Australia, which attendee Johanna Felter said gave viewers a better understanding of the unique experience of Australian aboriginals.

In general, the film series seeks to complement the artwork in the exhibit by giving viewers a more concrete depiction of Australian aboriginal life and by using cinematographic interpretations to visually emphasize Australia’s vast interior, Simpson said.