Art (Charmaine Papertalk Green & John Kinsella, Magabala)

Art is, on the surface, two skilled poets in dialogue over the artwork of the late Nyoongar artist Shane Pickett. But it is also a political text, asking ‘who is art for?’ without the ego to suggest an answer. The poetry in Art gains meaning with each read. Two-thirds of the way through, John Kinsella asks for permission to connect with Pickett’s painting ‘On the Horizon of the Dreaming Booja’, while Charmaine Papertalk Green coolly responds to the same picture. Made explicit, these two approaches set the tone for the rest of the book. Both poets are adept at writing place. It’s this similarity that creates cohesion throughout the book and reflects the elemental nature of Pickett’s art. Together, Kinsella and Papertalk Green take light and colour and turn it into movement, heat, sound and memory. Papertalk Green’s writing is predicated on a sense of familiarity; she is less circumspect in her engagement with Pickett’s work than Kinsella, more comfortable with what it means. Kinsella leans into the lyrical style of classic Australian poetry while exercising respectful caution, emphasising what the art means only to him. An act of sharing between the artist, the poets and the reader, Art contains echoes of Kinsella and Papertalk Green’s previous collaboration False Claims of Colonial Thieves but lacks some of the call to action of Kinsella’s Drowning in Wheat. A thought-provoking collection, Art should appeal to fans of Evelyn Araluen’s Dropbear.

Freelancer Christian Alphonso works as an industry journalist.

Category: Reviews