Between the Fence and Freedom: The Work of Evelyn Malgill

Explore the sublime world of Evelyn Malgill, a modern artist and Traditional Owner working out of Warmun, Western Australia.

By Museum of Freedom and Tolerance

Evelyn Malgill & Emilia Galatis

Between the Fence and Freedom by Emilia Galatis

On a recent trip to the Warmun Art Centre, I was immediately struck by a suite of bright pink paintings by Evelyn Malgil.

I had just come back from LA at the time; they had a similar aesthetic to the cool, block-like minimalist art forms found in the laid-back art and design of contemporary California

They had this incredibly woke, hip aesthetic combined with a kinda ‘F’ you attitude towards the norm. They definitely had sass, sass in bucket loads; and Evelyn Malgil is as cool and sassy as her artwork suggests. She is a senior Traditional Owner for Winniper Springs, a special site about an hour out of Warmun. Her work carries a quiet authority in line with her cultural status.

Rose’s Yard (2016) by Evelyn MalgilMuseum of Freedom and Tolerance

Rose's Yard (2016)

Ochre, acrylic paint and PVA fixative on canvas.

Note the juxtaposition of natural and man-made elements of the landscape; a reference to the impact of colonisation on traditional Country.

The 'station movement'

The Kimberley has wrestled with the difficult realities of what can be summarised as the ‘station movement’.

This movement underpins the economic disparity of the region that used free labour to build the wealth of the state and its devastating effects are well evidenced in art centre archives.

The ‘station movement’, still ongoing, can also be linked to mining and the ongoing fight for access to resources in traditional homelands.

Rose's Down Station (2014) by Evelyn MalgilMuseum of Freedom and Tolerance

Rose's Down Station (2014)

Charcoal, acrylic paint and PVA fixative on canvas.

The specific imagery in Evelyn’s work hints at the tension between the settler structures and traditional Country. Gentle reminders of the unresolved narratives of place are evidenced in the dancing brolgas, fences and water tanks amongst Evelyn's majestic pink landscapes.

A simple black brush-stroked-fence within a cool, contemporary scene reminds me that someone cut that tree, shaped it by hand, dragged it somewhere and put up a fence, for a foreign animal, in the middle of pristine freedom.

Contemporary art investigates the difficult spaces and reflects on where we want to go. Evelyn's work is no exception. In Elsie Cliff, Bedford Downs Country (2016), Evelyn deals with the history of violence and destruction that is inevitably present in the landscapes of her Country.

Elsie Cliff, Bedford Downs Country (2016) by Evelyn MalgilMuseum of Freedom and Tolerance

Elsie Cliff, Bedford Downs Country (2016)

Acrylic paint on canvas.

Evelyn says: "[This] is my old man’s mother’s Country, we call it Elsie Cliff. This big hill they got emu and kangaroo Dreaming there and if you go in that little gap you got spring in there."

"But over on that tree they been hanging people there, old people. You can see the shape of chains on that tree there if you go out that way."

The importance of Winniper Springs: sacred water

Evelyn's most joyful and sublime works are of Winniper Springs, where she is a senior Traditional Owner.

Winniper is a sacred site and an inland paradise about an hours' 4WD away from Warmun. You must ask permission before you go and be introduced to the water so you can safely enter the spring.

Winniper Springs III (2019) by Evelyn MalgilMuseum of Freedom and Tolerance

Winniper Springs III (2019)

Ochre, acrylic paint and PVA fixative on canvas.

The palm trees pictured in many of Evelyn's paintings are iconic to Winniper Springs.

Winniper Springs (2015) by Evelyn MalgilMuseum of Freedom and Tolerance

Winniper Springs (2015)

Acrylic paint on canvas.

Evelyn’s work is an excellent example of how art can make us feel and think differently about the accepted narratives of the shared place we all call home.

The quiet interplay between the fence and freedom reflects on the colonial history of the Kimberley, where happiness is found in sacred water.

Winniper Springs II (2015) by Evelyn MalgilMuseum of Freedom and Tolerance

Winniper Springs II (2015)

Acrylic paint on canvas.

Winniper: The Exhibition

Winniper: Works by Evelyn Malgil was first exhibited at Galerie pompom in Sydney, NSW, from 20 June to 19 July, 2020.

Winniper: Works by Evelyn Malgil, Evelyn Malgil, 2020, From the collection of: Museum of Freedom and Tolerance
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Winniper: Works by Evelyn Malgil, Evelyn Malgil, 2020, From the collection of: Museum of Freedom and Tolerance
,
Winniper: Works by Evelyn Malgil, Evelyn Malgil, 2020, From the collection of: Museum of Freedom and Tolerance
Show lessRead more
Credits: Story

All artworks by Evelyn Malgil. Images courtesy of Warmun Art Centre.

Words by curator Emilia Galatis.

Credits: All media
The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.
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