ROVER JOOLAMA THOMAS - RED ROCK STOCKYARDS - BOW RIVER STATION
ROVER JOOLAMA THOMAS
RED ROCK STOCKYARDS - BOW RIVER STATION, 1995 ed. 7/50
49 x 64 cm (image); 69 x 79 cm (paper); 71.5 x 81 cm (framed)
limited edition screenprint on paper
REGION
Kimberley, WA
PROVENANCE
Created during a workshop in the Warrmarn (Warmun), WAconducted on the 12-26 April 1995
STORY
This limited edition black and white print depicts the country around Bow River Station in the East Kimberley, where Rover Thomas worked for many years as a stockman. The stockyards and surrounding escarpments were part of Thomas’ everyday world, connecting the realities of station life with his enduring relationship to Country.
The monochrome palette reduces the image to bold forms and tonal contrasts, distilling Thomas’ distinctive visual language. Without colour, the structural qualities of the composition come to the fore, emphasising the rhythms of the land and the geometry of the stockyards.
The work reflects an important theme in Thomas’ practice: the meeting of Aboriginal cultural knowledge with the history of the cattle stations. Through this pared-back vision, Thomas conveys the lasting presence of Bow River as both a site of work and a place of deep cultural significance.
ARTIST PROFILE
