'Language of the Earth I' | 67x60x42cm

Code: ASGS-SK-20036

Artist: Sarrita King

Title: Language of the Earth I

Medium: Patinated steel

Size: 67x60x42cm

Year: 2020

With this sculpture Sarrita wanted to translate her ‘Language of the Earth” story into a 3D object. The choice to use metal is a reflection on the strength and longevity of the Australian Indigenous culture and the stories passed down over the centuries. 

Sarrita King | Language of the Earth

This is the earth’s story. It is also the story of black and white upon the land and the history we have created and carved into it by our interactions with one another. The intersections of black and white culture and how they meet, creating a narrative in the land and in history, and then moving on in their individual and collaborative journeys are abstractly depicted. The paintings that these sculptures are based on thematically diverge from Sarrita’s elemental inspired series. In an abstract way Sarrita references the iconography of the Tingari creation ancestors with her use of strong rectangles. These are then given body with dots and dashes, similar to Morse code. These symbols of communication are haunting in their familiarity, like an ancient language that was once known but now sits dormant at the back of one’s memory. The overall aesthetic is bold and assertive, and just like much iconography in Aboriginal cultures, the ancient now appears contemporary.