Taree artist Andy Snelgar will take part in the Homeground Arts Market as part of the annual celebration of First Nations art and culture at the Sydney Opera House.
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The Homeground Arts Market on November 25 and 26 showcases a global marketplace of First Nations collectible art, craft and homewares. More than 20 stallholders from across Australia and Fiji will be represented.
Hailing from Taree, Andy is one of the Art Gallery of NSW’s previous artists in residence. He is a Ngemba carver who has been refining his craft for over 25 years, and specialises in intricate wooden carvings of both hard and soft wood shields, boomerangs and clubs.
Andy’s works are immersed in culture and tradition and he is passionate about sharing and passing on the stories of his people for generations to come.
His interest in making Aboriginal artifacts, which includes spears, shields and boomerangs, started when he was a teenager.
“I used to travel out west to one of my uncles’s property where he lived in western NSW and we’d make spears and stuff like that,” he said.
We’d walk through the bush and some of us would spear fish, so we’d be using these things as well, so they were items that had a use rather than art itself.
- Andy Snelgar
“We’d walk through the bush and some of us would spear fish, so we’d be using these things as well, so they were items that had a use rather than art itself.
“Later on I kind of looked into the art and the stories in the objects as well.”
Having been involved in the original markets held in 2014, Andy is looking forward to participating in the event.
“It means a lot to me to be involved, the markets are a good opportunity for indigenous Aboriginal artists to get their work out there and get exposure,” he said.
“We like to get together and show off our work. I will have a stall with a number of my projects for sale.”
