Urban art archive in jeopardy
BY DANIEL BISHTON
The home of Redfern artist Gordon Syron, 66, and his wife Elaine, 63, is to be sold as part of the proposed North Eveleigh development. Now their archive of indigenous art and photography spanning three decades desperately needs a home.
Syron has been painting for over 30 years and has been named as an influence by luminary indigenous artist Gordon Hookey. He was a co-founder of the Eora Centre, mentoring emerging artists such as Isabel Coe and James Simons. He also served as president of the Aboriginal Deaths in Custody Watch committee.
Writer and the curator of indigenous culture at the Powerhouse Museum, James Wilson-Miller has exhibited Syron’s work numerous times.
‘Gordon has been recognised as the father of urban [indigenous] art, especially here in NSW,’ he says.
‘[His work] really symbolises the loss of land, the loss of culture – the loss of identity in those areas. Indigenous culture is alive and well because we have people like Gordon.’
The pair moved into their rail shed abode last October as part of Redfern-Waterloo Authority (RWA) initiative to index their collection. The Syrons were facing eviction as early as September 1 after their initial agreement with the RWA broke down. Geoff Turnbull, spokesman for local community watchdog RedWatch has since negotiated an extension of their tenancy, but the collection’s future is still in doubt.
‘I don’t know where we’re gonna go to or anything like that,’ says Gordon Syron. ‘It’s a hell of a situation.’
The collection contains over 1400 original artworks, countless photographs and artefacts representing the development of urban aboriginal art since the 1970’s to present, and a photographic dossier of pivotal events and personalities over the same period.
‘It is a priceless collection, it can never ever be replaced,’ says Syron.
‘It tells a complete story. If it wasn’t together, it would tell a different story.’
Elaine Syron immigrated to Australia as an English teacher from the United States in 1971. She moved into photography full-time to document the blooming indigenous rights movement at a time when negative stereotypes were rife.
‘All those things were happening in Redfern and I realised that nobody was taking pictures,’ she says.
‘What I saw was Aboriginal people really achieving and becoming self sufficient. Every time something important happened, I tried to cover it for aboriginal documentation.’
Despite the collection’s immense value and their own financial hardship, Gordon and Elaine are determined to keep the bulk of their collection together as a record of this critical period for indigenous rights and creative expression.
‘They could sell one of the paintings that’s hanging on the wall there for $1.5 million, he’s already turned that down,’ Turnbull says.
‘They want it to be available to the public as a collection, but they don’t have the money to be able to finance that. Somehow we have to keep this, or at least the gems of this, in the public domain.’
Tertiary archiving co-operative UNILINC has begun assessing the collection but completing the job would be a lengthy process, one likely to exceed their time at the current premises. If this occurs, they will need interim storage but the collection’s ultimate resting place is of most concern ‘ ideally in its spiritual home, Redfern.
‘An indigenous person coming from Western Australia would want to go to Redfern first; it’s had that drawing power for well over 100 years,’ Wilson-Miller says.
‘[The collection] is like an unofficial museum of Redfern. It’s really what the area of Redfern-Waterloo needs, to have a repository for something like that.’
Parties interested in viewing Gordon and Elaine’s collection or who can assist in finding a space should contact REDWatch on 9318 0824 or at www.redwatch.org.au.
