Rammey RamseyBow River Station, East Kimberly, Western Australia, 1935-2021
Warlawoon County, 2014
Natural ochre and acrylic on canvas
120cm x 120cm
Rammey Ramsey's (b.1935, Bow River Station, WA Australia) paintings express the landscape of his birth and ancestral lands with striking monochromes and a gestural, rhythmical language of wet-on-wet colour graduations,...
Rammey Ramsey's (b.1935, Bow River Station, WA Australia) paintings express the landscape of his birth and ancestral lands with striking monochromes and a gestural, rhythmical language of wet-on-wet colour graduations, on which more ornamental dot and jewel shapes are applied, alluding to landmarks, memories, and human presence. This pioneering, atmospheric depiction of his stunning, native Warlawoon gorge country has led to acclaimed recognition in the indigenous art world.
Ramsey's work teases out the complexities of Gija world views and the impact of pastoral occupation. The ancestral and ceremonial are central to Ramsey's practice, extending to his previous participation in Joonba dance performances and body-painting which honour and remember the events of enslavement and massacre of his land.