Aboriginal Contemporary is proud to present ‘Doorloo’, Tracey Ramsay’s second solo exhibition. Doorloo is Tracey’s ‘bush name’ and how she is known by those closest to her.
2021 was both a momentous and heartbreaking year for this rising star of Kimberley art. In April, Aboriginal Contemporary hosted Tracey’s first ever solo exhibition, which was sold out prior to opening. Tracey had hoped to be in Sydney for the show, but due to travel restrictions this was not possible. Then, in October 2021, a major installation of her work was on show at the Art Gallery of South Australia as part of Tarnanthi, but devastatingly, that same week, her father, legendary Kimberley artist Mr R Ramsey passed away.
Tracey did not pick up a brush until 2017, when she was urged to paint by her father – “Dad told me, he encouraged me, he said go paint. That’s when I started.” The pared back symbolism of Ramsay’s work is a direct line to the art of her father, as is her experimentation with colour. Working iteratively, Tracey renders intimately familiar spaces as a series of glyphs. The places and thus the paintings become a minimalist code for all the cultural, social, historical and political knowledge the artist holds as a traditional owner of her Country. It is a code that acts as both protection and engagement; histories are enveloped with pared down aesthetic and mesmerising palette, turning complexity into a bold and engaging invitation. At the same time, Tracey’s work also hides elements of cultural knowledge only for the initiated.
Tracey paints the Country which is familiar to her, sites shown to her by her father and her mother, Mona Ramsay: Black Hill, Blowfly Ngarranggarni, Juwurlinji, Gorge Yard, Warlbawoony and Warraban – all places of cultural importance not just to Tracey, but to her entire family. The stunning new works in this show represent a commitment to the family and the Country which have always been a constant in Ramsay’s life.
Doorloo is a celebration and an affirmation of one of the most exciting emerging artists in the Kimberley and cements Tracey Ramsay’s position as one of the key custodians for Bow River Country in the East Kimberley of Western Australia.
View catalogue for this exhibition HERE
