“From laboratory to Outback: a unique adventure into aboriginal art”
Thursday 23 May 2024 – 6.30 p.m. – 9 p.m.
BMMA is particularly pleased to invite you to this next meeting to listen to the story of an astonishing and atypical journey of one of its former students of the Executive Master in Digital Marketing and Communication.
This singular meeting with Bertrand Estrangin in his art gallery, will unveil us how, in 2014, his passion for the Australian Aboriginal art took precedence over a career in the chemical industry at Solvay.
How does Bertrand combine the management of an art gallery and marketing and art. How does he gain and maintain the trust of the artists who entrust him with their meaningful works. How does he succeed in competing with other cities like New York, Paris or London. He will also give us his opinion on digital art… and what he thinks of A.I. in pictorial art in general.
On the programme: a presentation, an immersion in Australian Aboriginal art to close the evening with networking round a drink.
Bertrand Estrangin
Manager
Aboriginal Signature • Estrangin Gallery
Alumni EMMA 2003
Picture of Bertrand round a fire in the desert in the evening, alone, at 500 km of the nearest human being or village.
Having been a collector for 22 years, I started a new career at 44, as founder of an art gallery dedicated to aboriginal artists from the antipodes.
No more meetings in buildings but room for solo explorations in a 4×4 through the red deserts of the island continent.
No more direction boards with political dimensions but exploring the world of art and its challenges.
More than 38.000 km later, over chaotic tracks to meet the Australian Aboriginals, the turn is exciting with over 90 art exhibitions in Europe in the gallery or in museums.
We invite you in the heart of this universe in Brussels, to discover the Aboriginal art and culture, explorations in situ in the desert at the sources of history of a great people, pillar of the oldest continuous memory over 65,000 years
This special meeting fits in the current exhibition in his gallery: The INMA – The Indigenous Women’s songs and stories.
And hereby a reproduction of one of the artworks you will discover
Walytja – Family Collaboration
Size/Medium200cm x 240cm
synthetic polymer on linen
This is a collaborative canvas between Emma Singer, her mother Pauline Wangin and Pauline’s sister Betsy Campbell. Pauline says about the work:”We’ve painted this big canvas together as a family.
© Aboriginal Signature Estrangin Gallery with the courtesy of the artists and Mimili Maku
This canvas is about kapi tjukula and soakages around Kinara Mimi, Mimili. Our families would move between rockholes, they’d know them all. They would always be looking for clear drinking water.
They lived around Antara and many other named places between Kinara Mimi, Antara, Artutja, Paralpi and Iwantja.
All those places are connected, and they used to walk far distances every day. We remember the paths by the songlines that still run through those places. They’d sing the songs, dig for water, and know where to travel.
The water was underground, and they’d dig till it seeped upwards. They’d always know. I remember going to Iwantja Soakage with our mother and her showing us how it’s done. We remember this from when we were young, and we want to keep sharing this story for our children and grandchildren. It’s important to remember what we’ve always known. »
At the Aboriginal Signature • Estrangin Gallery , 101 rue Jules Besme, 1081 Brussels.
http://www.aboriginalsignature.com
Number of places limited to 40 persons – the presentation will be held in French.
Price: €25 (excluding VAT)