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Luke Mallie, Art Lovers Australia, painting, Australian art, Indigenous art, culture
With over two decades of art experience, Luke Mallie’s art is a vibrant representation that draws from his Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent. Hailing from Brisbane, Mallie’s work is vivid and colourful; he cites modern culture and his tropical surroundings, as well as his own heritage, as his main influences.
In Aboriginal culture young boys are taught, from an early age, the responsibility to become strong men. They learn to hunt for food and protect their people as warriors yet they don’t feel a heavy burden because these are the same people who took care of them when they could not fend for themselves.
When you first view Mallie’s art, you are immediately enthralled by his use of colour — it is bold and almost technicolour, which Mallie says is representative of the beauty and playfulness of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.
By Luke Mallie.
I’ve painted the Star Spirit in the image of my ancestors because, as the oldest living culture on earth, they were the first people to use the stars to help guide their path and teach them of their future. We can see how eternal the Universe is by looking into the heavens and know that our problems are insignificant and that we are meant to be happy and live in joy.
His art is created quickly, leading to dynamic images that leap off the page, symbolising the movement and energy of the dynamic cultures he is descended from.
In Australian Aboriginal culture, to dance is to be free to express individual spirit, timeless stories and love for your culture. From an early age children are taught stories through which they tell stories by moving their bodies to music during Ceremony. These stories are then carried with them as the move about in every day life because they cannot help but think of the stories as they move.
His use of colour and perspective certainly evokes a playfulness in his work. In the limited edition print, Child Dancer 2, we see the look of wonder and intrigue in a child’s eye right before he starts a dance.
There is a definite innocence about the child, but Mallie’s use of colour provokes a sense of cheekiness, too.
We can look to the diversity of nature where the dragonfly lives in balance with the butterfly, in which we learn how to live in balance with each other. As the honey bee collects pollen from the flower for further expansion, we learn that every choice we make can effect others around us and teach us to make better choices to live in harmony together. Nature does does not dwell on the past but lives strong today to create more growth for tomorrow, therefore if we remember the past but work together today toward an all inclusive future where we respect and recognise the beauty of our diversity we recognise that we are all connected.
In his print, Beauty in Diversity – Spirit of Nature, Mallie’s technicolour portrayal of flowers, bees, dragonflies, and butterflies is bright and bubbly. It is an image that is no doubt fun and playful, but it carries with it a serious message of maintaining balance and harmony within the world.
By Luke Mallie.
Australia is full of beautiful scenery and this painting represents a small, but amazing, part of the beauty throughout this country. Nourlangie Rock in Kakadu National Park changes colour many times of the day yet is also surrounded by amazing colours in the nearby billabong, especially during Spring time when the water lilies are in bloom. The Great Creator put the beauty here for everyone and every living creature to take care of and enjoy.
It’s a message that he tries to carry through all of his work, showing the beauty and colour of all people and the land we live on, no matter their background and heritage.
Luke Mallie’s bold and beautiful work is available for purchase through Art Lovers Australia.
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