The Abbey Museum is proud to announce that we are the successful recipients of a Regional Arts Development Fund grant towards the artist commission fees for Lyndon Davis, acclaimed First Nations Kabi Kabi artist and traditional custodian, to create a new sculptural artwork for permanent display, as an Acknowledgement of Country, at the entrance to the Abbey Museum of Art & Archaeology’s Art Gallery and Café extension.
This is the creative development phase of the project during which long term public art consultant, Dr John Waldron, Blue Sky View, will work pro bono with Lyndon Davis to realise his concept design ideas for the public art work through a collaboration with an experienced public artist/fabricator, Russell Anderson. Two other arts-workers, Nadia Arrighi, Abbey Museum and sound artist, Dr Leah Barclay, will also work pro-bono with Lyndon Davis in the creative development phase to develop the concept of an integrated sound element of Lyndon’s storytelling into the sculpture.
Lyndon Davis says: “As a traditional custodian of the Kabi Kabi people I am very honoured to be able to share my local Indigenous history of this region. My art proposal is to provide an Acknowledgment to Country Sculpture for the Abbey Museum. In this public artwork I would like to honour the ancient cultural history of the land on which the Abbey Museum is situated and the Kabi Kabi people’s custodianship and caring for country over thousands of years and to share in our cultural Language History and Storytelling of the local region”.
The design phase of the project is due for completion at the end April 2024 and the finished public art work will launch at the end of 2024.
The Regional Arts Development Fund is a partnership between the Queensland Government and City of Moreton Bay to support local arts and culture in regional Queensland.
About Lyndon Davis
Lyndon Davis is an internationally acclaimed artist, educator and cultural performer. Born and raised on the Sunshine Coast, Davis’ arts practice represents his deep connection to Country. Most recently, Davis has been making work that visualises the calls of different species on Kabi Kabi Country using cymatics, the science of visualising acoustic energy or sound.
His first solo exhibition, Djagan Yaman is on display at Caboolture Regional Gallery until February 24. This exhibition brings together painting, objects, moving image and sound to consider the way Davis’ practice is grounded in communicating the importance of custodianship and caring for Country.
Lyndon works extensively within our local schools, Universities and community presenting an exciting and informative Aboriginal Cultural Education Program. He has vast knowledge of our local Indigenous Culture and history, Gubbi Gubbi language, traditional song and dance and the arts. His workshops are always a treat.
In 1997 he founded the Gubbi Gubbi dance troupe, bringing together local Aboriginal artists and performers. presenting an amazing display of traditional Aboriginal song and dance. Their reputation has grown as one of the best traditional dance troupes in QLD.