Paint, sculpt, weave, repeat

by John

posted July 28, 2021

category Uncategorized

True to form it’s been a long time since my last update. This time it’s been over a year. So, what’s been happening? It’s probably easier to ask – what hasn’t been happening? A global pandemic, 5 waves of Covid lockdowns, lots of personal stuff, good and bad, and the loss of my Dad. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-05-05/aboriginal-elder-john-patten-laid-to-rest-in-traditional-burial/12210992 […]

Pictures In This Set

Down and Up

by John

posted June 23, 2020

category Uncategorized

Life’s a fight, and I’ve taken a few serious blows to the ribs since my last update. But it’s about getting back up off the canvas, and not letting even those harder times get the best of us. Right? I won’t go into heavily into the full details, but suffice to say we all experience […]

Siemens Ad Campaign

by John

posted June 10, 2018

category Art / Design, Family, Work

Here’s a video I forgot to post last time around. This is an ad campaign I featured in for Siemens Europe whilst still managing the cultural centre, late last year.

Been There, Done That

by John

posted January 31, 2018

category Illustration, Travel

As always, there’s a lot to write about. Big adventures, big changes. In October 2017 I headed overseas again as I travelled to the Middle East, working on an oral history project in association with the Rona Tranby Trust who are based in Sydney. It was to document the stories of my ancestors who served in […]

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Return to Turtle Island

by John

posted October 5, 2017

category Travel, Work

In July through to August I spent several weeks on Turtle Island, otherwise known as the United States and Canada. I was there primarily to present a paper at WIPCE 2017 – The World Indigenous Peoples Conference on Education, held in Toronto on July 24-28. My presentation was titled,’65,000 Years in 45 minutes’ and was […]

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Museum Dance Off

by John

posted June 29, 2017

category Work

In my last update I had some trouble remembering what I’ve been up to over the past 12 months. It’s been a very busy time. It’s kinda funny then that I had forgotten the moment that perhaps grabbed most peoples attention! In March 2016 my colleagues and I at Museums Victoria entered into the International […]

For Those Who Came in Late..

by John

posted June 25, 2017

category Art / Design, Culture, History, Illustration, Work

It’s been an age and a day since my last post. Here’s what’s been happening over the last year plus. In August 2016, I took on the Manager’s role for Bunjilaka Aboriginal Cultural Centre at Melbourne Museum. For a range of reasons over the full first year I continued to down my old job as […]

Input | Output

by John

posted February 26, 2016

category Art / Design, Culture, Illustration

Today I was excited to see a public artwork I was commissioned to create installed at the Donkey Wheel House. The DWH is a heritage listed building here in Melbourne, situated in the CBD on Bourke Street, just across from Southern Cross train station. Because of the site’s heritage listing, any work produced was required […]

Man of Steel

by John

posted February 10, 2016

category Art / Design, Culture, Illustration, Koorie, Painting

Perforated steel! Here’s a sneak peek at a recently completed commission, produced for the good folks at the Donkey Wheel House, near Southern Cross train station, here in Melbourne. The work is created in perforated steel and is a step in a new direction in my artistic practice. I’ll write more about the piece when […]

Pictures In This Set

Racism, Identity and my Childhood

by John

posted August 16, 2015

category Culture, Family, History, Koorie, Politics

Whilst this site was originally intended as a site to catalogue my artistic and cultural output, recently I’ve let slip my leanings and have begun to write entries of a more political nature. This is simply a matter of needing to vent, regardless of the fact that I may be the only person reading this. […]

Press Clippings, Aug 2015

by John

posted August 6, 2015

category Art / Design, Painting

Some recent publicity relating to my shortlisting in the 2015 Victorian Indigenous Art Awards. Articles were published in the two local newspapers – the Sunbury Leader, and the Sunbury & Macedon Ranges Star Weekly. http://www.starweekly.com.au/news/sunburys-john-patten-shortlisted-for-indigenous-art-awards/  

Australian Racism and Sport

by John

posted July 31, 2015

category Koorie, Politics, Sport

Unless it’s of little consequence I don’t like to comment on a topic until I’ve had time to digest and appreciate its complexity, and to look at a majority, if not all contributing factors and points of view. Otherwise, my view will have little intrinsic value. I’d only be adding to an already deafening chorus […]