Reclaiming what was lost in the fire: a review of Jonathan Jones’ "Barrangal Dyara"

Francesca Timar

doi:10.5130/nesais.v5i1.1569

Abstract

The site-specific work titled Barrangal Dyara (Skin and Bones) was exhibited in the Royal Botanical Gardens in Sydney from the 17th of September to the 3rd of October 2016. The artist behind the display, Sydney based Wiradjuri and Kamilaroi man Jonathan Jones (born 1987) is a young contemporary Aboriginal artist who specialises in site-specific works, which discuss the historical uses of locations around Australia. The name Barrangal Dyara means skin and bones in the local Gadigal language, and the work took place on Country with community approval from Gadigal elders Uncle Charles Madden and Uncle Allen Madden.

Highlights

The Garden Palace was built for the 1879 International Exhibition, which aimed to display a reinvigorated British colony, that desired to separate itself from its convict past
The majority of the plants that sit on the site of the Botanical Gardens are introduced species, unlike the native Kangaroo grass, which was the dominant grass of the area, pre-colonisation, and was cultivated and spread by the Gadigal people
The Garden Palace was a symbol of the strength and superiority of the British colonisers and represented the version of Australian history that started with the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788

Summary

Introduction

The Garden Palace was built for the 1879 International Exhibition, which aimed to display a reinvigorated British colony, that desired to separate itself from its convict past. The Garden Palace held approximately 500-1000 Aboriginal objects collected on the colonial frontier (mostly made of wood and bark), all of which were lost in the fire, and were never returned to their rightful owners. Jones responded to the deep loss felt by the destruction of the culturally significant items and attempted to start a healing process through his artwork.

Results

Conclusion