ESSAY: 2003.045 MELLOR
This work, Trunk shield II (Middle Nellie Kelly shield) 2001, is made from reclaimed metal — the bottom of a metal travelling trunk. Mellor uses this as a metaphor for the displacement of his great grandmother, Nellie Kelly (née Brackenridge) who was a member of the Mamu/Ngadjonji people. Danie Mellor has stated:
'The displacement refers to her moving away from the Tablelands (traditional country) in the early 1900s, and the metaphorical displacement of cultural belonging. The shields, made from travelling trunks (usually used for either travelling or cruises by those who could afford them) refer to her relatively middle class 'lifestyle', as a result of her allowance from the Kelly family. The irony of that lifestyle and exemption, although it was relatively financially independent, precluded involvement with the Indigenous community to a significant enough degree for her to be extremely cautious, so what information was passed down in the family I treat as gold.'(1)
The deterioration of the metal surface can also be seen to reference the traditional culture that had eroded over time through the intervention of the missions, where many of Nellie's family had lived. Many missions established in the Cairns region had forbidden Indigenous people to practice any form of culture; many language groups had often been forced to live together on country that was not their own. Mellor's work highlights the plight of people who lost their culture and his contemporary interpretations emphasise the efforts of urban-based artists who are now referencing artefacts held in museums in an attempt to rejuvenate elements of their culture.
This work, together with Trunk shield I (Nellie Kelly shield) 2001 and Trunk shield III (Nellie Kelly shield) 2001, was included in the 2001 exhibition 'Cows and Kanguroos' The misspelling of the word 'kangaroo' in the exhibition's title, references colonial plates that were printed in England and Holland with the spelling 'kanguroo'.(2)
Essay by Trish Johnson, Project Officer, Indigenous Australian Art, Nov. 2003.
Endnote
Endnote
- Mellor, Danie, email to Trish Johnson, 25 Nov. 2003. 2. Mellor, Danie, telephone conversation with Trish Johnson, 11 Dec. 2003.
