Art  / True: Kevin Gilbert 1933-1993. Tuggeranong Arts Centre until August 9. Reviewed by BARRINA SOUTH.

Because A White Man’ll Never Do It, Living Black and Black from the Edge are but a few of the poetry collections titles penned by Wiradjuri artist, poet and activist Kevin Gilbert.

Born on the Kalara riverbank (Lachlan River) Condobolin, NSW, Gilbert’s words still possess their power, written more than 33 years after his death. The title of the exhibition True derives from Gilbert’s poem by the same name, and exposes the stark realities of truth telling that we as Australians have always grappled with in this country.

The exhibition showcases several photographic prints taken by Gilbert centred around marches, gathering and protests against the broader bi-centenary celebrations in 1988. These works capture Aboriginal people who travelled across Australia and set up camp at Yarra Bay, Sydney and the larger march from Redfern to Sydney Harbour.

This was beautifully captured in the photographic work titled When Children March, a title taken from his poem by the same name, where Gilbert writes ‘children marching holding flags slogans written on their rags bright with hope’.

Alongside the photographs are a collection of prints, which are also influenced by his poetry and vice versa. The works were created during Gilbert’s period in prison. The lino was stripped of the prison flooring and Gilbert carved the lino with whatever tools he could find be it spoons, gem blades and nails. This was an outlet for Gilbert who would often be found in the prison’s printing shop creating his pieces.

For those who are aware of Gilbert’s work, his more recognisable piece Colonising Species is on show but the piece that caught my attention was Subina 1968. To me there appeared to be two faces in the portrait, it really took me in. I was to later learn that Subina was an important cultural Aboriginal woman that Gilbert knew growing up.

The other piece in the exhibition that I spent time viewing was Eaglemen legend 1965, which was influenced by Gilbert’s time spent looking at the landscape in Queanbeyan.

In the middle of the exhibition space are Gilbert’s poems written on silk that hang from the ceiling to the floor. As I walked through the space, these pieces gently moved and I could not help but be reminded of the wind causing ripples across the water, in this case the Kalara.

For me I had met Kevin Gilbert and knew of his poetry and prints and was in Sydney in 1988 so I arrived at the exhibition with background knowledge.

If you were not familiar with Gilbert’s works and the context in which it was written and created, the exhibition did not offer much information to assist the visitor with understanding how influential Gilbert is.

It would have beneficial to have more exhibition labels to explain the photographs and prints, at least a map showing where Gilbert was from. There is an introduction label as you enter but again had very little information on the complexities of this great Australian poet and artist.

This is a great opportunity to see Gibert’s work in the one location but do some background research of your own to truly appreciate what is on offer.