Breaking with Tradition

Exhibition: Breaking with Tradition
Dates: 11 November 2010 to 8 May 2011, Daily 11:00 - 17:00 h

Place: Museum of Contemporary Aboriginal Art (AAMU) Oudegracht 176, Utrecht, The Netherlands

Admission:  €8,-

Webpage: www.aamu.nl

About the exhibition:

Until 8 May 2011, the exhibition Breaking with Tradition is on display at the AAMU. It is a fascinating and challenging exploration of the influences of the European Cobra movement on developments in contemporary Aboriginal art from Central Australia. You will see work of a.o. Karel Appel, Constant, Corneille, Asger Jorn and Pierre Alechinsky in conjunction with work by Aboriginal artists such as Yata Gypsy Yadda, Inyuwa Nampitjinpa and Paji Honeychild Yankarr. The art movement Roar played a key role in this process. Via several of the Roar artists Cobra influences found their way to a number of Aboriginal art centres in the central desert region.

About the museum:

The place in Europe to experience contemporary Aboriginal visual arts from Australia is AAMU in Utrecht, The Netherlands. Like the art itself, the museum is constantly in motion. Every year AAMU presents two to three exhibitions where you can get to know the versatility, power and individuality of Aboriginal art. Each exhibition has a new perspective and shows the different directions and trends that have evolved in this contemporary art form.  The exhibitions highlight leading artists and a wide range of themes. The works on display vary from magnificent paintings on linen and tree-bark paintings to thought-provoking installations and multimedia works by a younger generation of Indigenous artists. In putting exhibitions together the museum draws on a growing network of artists, curators, museums, galleries and private collectors in the Netherlands, Europe and Australia.

The AAMU wants to serve as a platform in Holland and Europe for Aboriginal visual arts and its developments. This also means the museum is emphatically connecting with other contemporary art.

The ambition of the museum is not just to show Aboriginal art. It also gives information and education on the quality and great diversity of this art. Visitors can learn about the similarities and differences between Aboriginal and western visual arts and choose their own point of view regarding Aboriginal art.

The AAMU is recognized by the government of Australia as an important platform for Australian, cultural heritage in Europe.

© Text and image: www.aamu.nl