Beginning June 10, 2021
TREK THE OUTBACK….without leaving Saskatchewan!
Over 50 Australian art pieces from the Shurniak permanent collection are on display this summer!
Large-scale aboriginal dot paintings from the Australian outback show a unique world view. Dreamtime storytelling teaches lessons about life, such as birth, hunting, love, food gathering, and death. These “Stories of the Dreaming” are handed down through generations by Elders, and explain life, and how the world was created.
In aboriginal artwork, traditional symbols keep this ancient culture alive. A carved didgeridoo, decorated boomerang, and many other wooden items used in daily life in the desert are also available to view. These authentic Australian aboriginal items were purchased by Bill Shurniak during a trip to remote Alice Springs, Northern Territory, in 2003.
Bill resided in Australia for approximately 5 years before his return to Canada in 2005. His home base in Adelaide, South Australia, allowed him to experience the thriving urban lifestyle of modern Australia, and to frequent many art galleries. The remainder of this Australian exhibition is comprised of beautiful rural landscapes of purple hills and red soil, thought-provoking abstracts, and stunning portraits.
Bill Shurniak’s Australian collection was compiled as the Shurniak Art Gallery was being built back in Canada. Bill collected this Australian artwork specifically for inclusion in his new gallery. We are proud to showcase this exciting body of cultural work!