“Tribute” Arone Meeks - Stunning Exhibition Opens

Curator, Geoff Dixon has stated 

I curated Tribute with the vibrancy and life force of Arone’s colour palette in mind, as much as his unique design and stories along with the immediacy and fluidity of his impeccable line and brushwork.

 

Untitled (two figures with emblems) (2018), Monoprint: oil based inks on Arches paper, 800mm x 600mm, © Estate of Arone Meeks, Photographer: Michael Marzik.

This beautiful exhibition of 21 vibrant and dynamic paintings and monoprints by nationally and internationally acclaimed Queensland artist Arone Meeks (1957 – 2021) has been created to mark out the 30th Anniversary of the Mabo Decision. It also joins the JCU Library’s 14 year tradition of regularly holding a Library Art exhibition to celebrate the renaming of the University Library on the Townsville Bebegu Yumba campus to the Eddie Koiki Mabo Library in 2008 on the 21st of May. Read more about this here.  

Evidence (2020), Acrylic on canvas, 1835mm x 1210mm, © Estate of Arone Meeks, Photographer: Louis Lim.

The ‘Tribute’ Arone Meeks exhibition pays homage to both Eddie Koiki Mabo and Arone Meeks creating a memorable event that demonstrates gratitude, respect and admiration for their significant contributions to Australian culture, community and political change.

Untitled (three figures with turtle) (2012), Monoprint: oil based inks on Arches paper, 800mm x 600mm, © Estate of Arone Meeks, Photographer: Michael Marzik

Arone Meeks has said

through the whole practice of producing my work - I feel that what I do when I am producing paintings or prints or sculptures - is I am forging links with my own Country and culture and who I am.

Arone used art as a vehicle to communicate about County and culture and doing so shared some similar attributes to Koiki Mabo – who also was an articulate, well informed and proud Indigenous man. 

To hear more from Arone Meeks, the exhibition Curator and the Director of the Library watch this short video produced by JCU Library memorialising this momentous occasion. 

Tribute will be on show at the Eddie Koiki Mabo Library until Friday the 10th of June. The general public are invited to view the exhibition on weekdays between 8am - 7pm and on weekends between 10am - 5pm. 

Bronwyn McBurnie
Co-curator of ‘Tribute’ Arone Meeks
Manager, Special Collections