Self Portrait: Ruby don't take your art to town
Bianca Beetson
- Sitter: Ruby Abbott Napangardi
- Medium: Digital photo on photo paper
- Dimensions: 87 x 108 cm
- Representation: The artist represents themselves
About the artist
Bianca Beetson is a contemporary Indigenous artist, who lives and works in Brisbane. She has played an important role in the growth and development of the Indigenous art industry in Brisbane over the past 25 years. Starting out working at Fireworks Gallery in 1995 and then becoming a part of the seminal Campfire Group and later proppaNOW artist collectives. Beetson has also worked at Access Art, Brisbane City council, Catalyst Youth Arts and now runs the Bachelor of Contemporary Australian Indigenous Art degree at Griffith University, Queensland College of Art – the only Indigenous fine art degree of it’s type in the country. She has also sat on a number of boards in Brisbane including Artworkers Alliance, Eyeline, and Yelangi preschool and now more recently sits on the board of Digi Youth Arts, QAGOMA and the Museum of Contemporary Arts advisory board.
About the sitter
Bianca Beetson says of this work: “This artwork also pays homage to the late Ruby Abbott Napangardi, who was a legend in the Valley. Ruby was known for her song, dance and painting of the Bush banana story she would perform it and sell to passers-by in the Valley Mall. Bianca, being a friend of Ruby has always wanted to write a book of colourful stories that celebrate Rubys life titled “Ruby don’t take your art to town”. Bianca is shrouded in a scarf which has printed on it Rubys’ artwork colour altered.”
