Out of time (2021)
This artwork considers a time in all our lives that we cannot escape. A time which, for some, can be quite confronting. A time for self-reflection and evaluation of our own existence, and that of the deceased. It can be a time for self-examination, thoughts drift, we envisage our own mortality. Time, we find ourselves coming face to face with death. Questioning what time of ours still remains, and thoughts of our own demise. Here the hand belongs to me, while the person in the grave is a portrayal, also of myself. An allegory of my life, my extinction, and my own demise. This work also offers a pathway to perceptions I rarely entertain, often these thoughts are looked at as morbid and macabre, so ominous in fact that the preference to not give any consideration to, or even entertain such concepts, usually prevails.
I chose to illustrate my own hand, tipping a handful of earth onto my own coffin. The hand is symbolic, a tradition, the act of spreading munta, as we call the earth, over our deceased. I perceive this offering as an insight into life and death and the questions which are never answered. While the majority take into account these questions, which have no answers or scientific proof. Many will and do envisage an afterlife. This is why there are faded images, representing those who have passed away. I believe that death is final and there is nothing thereafter. This is the time in everyone’s life, where they ponder such questions, and aspire to thoughts of ‘Life’ after ‘Death’. Hoping they will once again meet those that have passed; friends, relatives and our Ancestors.
My belief is that this is when we run out of ‘Time’ and there is no more.
Sign of the Times (2021)
This work considers our contemporary lifestyles, our new way of life. The COVID-19 virus has completely transformed the way we live and go about our everyday lives. All we can do is adapt, taking into consideration expert health research and information disseminated for our safety. Please choose wisely and submit to the Covid vaccinations—not just for yourselves, but for your loved ones, the infirm and elderly—so that we do not risk transmitting this virus. There is documented factual scientific research and evidence that if we are unfortunate enough to catch this insidious pathogen, there exists the possibility of dire health consequences and even death. Please get vaccinated so we can protect those who are most susceptible. The conspiracy theorists are putting people’s family and friends at risk. It is selfish to put your own doctrines before the life of an elderly or even a younger person.
This artwork was created using an iPad and iPencil, and the computing program ‘Procreate. This was my first attempt at creating artworks digitally, and I found at first it was quite confusing and frustrating. Eventually after getting the hang of it, I loved this technological painting. I liked it so much in fact, that I would now consider purchasing an iPad so I can incorporate digital painting into my current practice.
Doin Time (2021)
These two digital paintings were created using the program Procreate and were painted on an iPad. The focus of these works is an issue which I am very passionate about—an issue which has and still does affect the Aboriginal community—Aboriginal Deaths in Custody.
Overrepresented within the prison and justice systems, Indigenous incarceration and Indigenous Deaths in Custody, have or will affect almost every Aboriginal individual, families and communities—either directly or indirectly. Unfortunately, I myself have had firsthand experience of being incarcerated, and have unfortunately been personally affected when a relative died while being arrested in Adelaide.
These experiences played a key role in my decision to become an artist, and have become a theme in a great deal of my artwork. I see my art as a way of expressing myself creatively, and hoping to start a conversation in regard to this topic. I am passionate about this social justice issue due to being an Anangu and Kokatha man. I use my artwork as a platform to continue to protest against the injustices suffered by Indigenous people, and the seemingly never-ending Black Deaths In Custody. Although this is an issue that affects mainly Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people here in Australia, this is a global issue and it is inclusive of all races.
All of these deaths, which occurred in custody, regardless of race or creed, are senseless, and in most cases preventable. We all have to continue to take a stand against this and maintain our principles; to prevent this issue becoming lost after a 48-hour news cycle—as it so often has. We must all remain vigilant in our stance against these murders! They occur far too often, within both the prison and justice systems. I use the term ‘murder’ due to the fact that a person, especially an Indigenous person, who commits such an act, taking another person’s life would find themselves instantly incarcerated. They would be charged, not given bail, imprisoned. Swiftly facing prosecution, and ultimately being convicted. Then sentenced in a court of law, given a sentence of between ten years to twenty-five years, with a maximum of life in prison. Even when they have concluded this sentence handed down by a judge and jury, they would remain in this justice system for the rest of their lives.
The perpetrators of these crimes against those who are incarcerated or being arrested, seem to flout the law. They escape punishment, the due process, which any other criminal would face. It fails to materialise. We continue to hear and see these types of offences being committed against Indigenous people by members of the justice system: police officers and prison officers. All of whom seem to escape unpunished. Our laws governed by the State and Federal Acts dictate what processes and punishments should be given to perpetrators of murder. These are the very laws they have sworn to uphold. Yet they seem immune to the very same laws. There remains almost no punishment or convictions, to this day, for the perpetrator of such crimes against those in custody. If they are employed by the justice system, they seem immune to not only prosecution, but to justice.
This is a social justice issue which needs to be addressed and these needless Deaths in Custody need to cease, until there are NO Deaths in Custody. We the Indigenous peoples of Australia want justice for our family members taken, murdered by those in authority. Why are they immune to legal justice? Why are those in positions of power and authority given a free pass and not charged or incarcerated? Why is no one held accountable?
Globally, these deaths in custody became an epidemic; American man George Floyd (RIP) ignited a collective consciousness. Now there is silence once again until the next Indigenous person in Australia succumbs to murder by authority! Nothing has changed, millions of dollars later, and many years passed. Some may find my explanations hard to digest or prefer to remain ignorant. Just remember those lost are members of families — Sons, Daughters, Uncles, Aunts, Mothers and Fathers, they matter and they deserve justice.
‘Doin Time’ for Indigenous people in Australia, is a time to worry about your survival! PLEASE HELP US TO STOP THESE SENSELESS DEATHS IN CUSTODY – OUR PEOPLE HAVE HAD ENOUGH. A ROYAL COMMISSION 30 YEARS AGO - 339 RECOMMENDATIONS, MANY STILL TO BE IMPLEMENTED AND STILL WE ARE LOSING OUR OWN MOB.
Arrested-ADIC (2021)
This is a staged photograph of me being arrested by the police. This is a metaphor for a Death of a relative which occurred in Adelaide. He could still be with us if he had been allowed to use his medication which was within arm's reach. The photo has been manipulated in Photoshop and relates to the theme of Aboriginal Deaths in Custody. This work reflects on preventable deaths, duty of care, and those free from prosecution.
My name is Matty Ngungin Moore, I am a First Nations man, an Anangu, a Traditional Owner of the Kokatha Mula Lands in Central South Australia—my Grandfather’s Country. I am also a descendant of the Anangu people of the Anangu Pitjantjara Yankunytjatjara Lands of Far North Western South Australia—my Grandmother’s Country.
I am a contemporary visual artist and my main creative process is painting, in which I utilise both oil and acrylic painting mediums. I have stepped out of my comfort zone with these artworks by using technology. The Procreate program, a digital painting program, and an iPad and iPencil, were used to create some of these artworks, while the other works used Photoshop. I am also an illustrator who sketches portraits, designs, and characters for use in stories which will become a graphic novel.
My artworks are socio-political, and the themes of my artworks range from traditional Anangu dot paintings, portraiture, and wildlife. The subject matter varies from Indigenous issues, incarceration of Indigenous people, Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, mental health, Frontier Wars, and other social issues I feel are personally concerning and have impacted upon me. I create artworks as a form of self-expression and my way of storytelling—a traditional characteristic of our culture which has survived thousands of years.
My artwork aims to enlighten the viewer, or create a conversation based around these issues. I use skills learnt while undertaking my Visual and Creative Arts Degree through Deakin University, at their Geelong, Waurn Ponds Campus.
Thank you to Rebekah Raymond, Joel Spring and Ellen Formby and all the staff at the Runway Journal. Thank you for this opportunity to showcase my experimental and new creations.
A special thank you, and show of appreciation to Daniel Connell, artist, lecturer and a source of inspiration and drive, who I appreciate and hope to collaborate with in the future.
Out of time (2021)
This artwork considers a time in all our lives that we cannot escape. A time which, for some, can be quite confronting. A time for self-reflection and evaluation of our own existence, and that of the deceased. It can be a time for self-examination, thoughts drift, we envisage our own mortality. Time, we find ourselves coming face to face with death. Questioning what time of ours still remains, and thoughts of our own demise. Here the hand belongs to me, while the person in the grave is a portrayal, also of myself. An allegory of my life, my extinction, and my own demise. This work also offers a pathway to perceptions I rarely entertain, often these thoughts are looked at as morbid and macabre, so ominous in fact that the preference to not give any consideration to, or even entertain such concepts, usually prevails.
I chose to illustrate my own hand, tipping a handful of earth onto my own coffin. The hand is symbolic, a tradition, the act of spreading munta, as we call the earth, over our deceased. I perceive this offering as an insight into life and death and the questions which are never answered. While the majority take into account these questions, which have no answers or scientific proof. Many will and do envisage an afterlife. This is why there are faded images, representing those who have passed away. I believe that death is final and there is nothing thereafter. This is the time in everyone’s life, where they ponder such questions, and aspire to thoughts of ‘Life’ after ‘Death’. Hoping they will once again meet those that have passed; friends, relatives and our Ancestors.
My belief is that this is when we run out of ‘Time’ and there is no more.
Sign of the Times (2021)
This work considers our contemporary lifestyles, our new way of life. The COVID-19 virus has completely transformed the way we live and go about our everyday lives. All we can do is adapt, taking into consideration expert health research and information disseminated for our safety. Please choose wisely and submit to the Covid vaccinations—not just for yourselves, but for your loved ones, the infirm and elderly—so that we do not risk transmitting this virus. There is documented factual scientific research and evidence that if we are unfortunate enough to catch this insidious pathogen, there exists the possibility of dire health consequences and even death. Please get vaccinated so we can protect those who are most susceptible. The conspiracy theorists are putting people’s family and friends at risk. It is selfish to put your own doctrines before the life of an elderly or even a younger person.
This artwork was created using an iPad and iPencil, and the computing program ‘Procreate. This was my first attempt at creating artworks digitally, and I found at first it was quite confusing and frustrating. Eventually after getting the hang of it, I loved this technological painting. I liked it so much in fact, that I would now consider purchasing an iPad so I can incorporate digital painting into my current practice.
Doin Time (2021)
These two digital paintings were created using the program Procreate and were painted on an iPad. The focus of these works is an issue which I am very passionate about—an issue which has and still does affect the Aboriginal community—Aboriginal Deaths in Custody.
Overrepresented within the prison and justice systems, Indigenous incarceration and Indigenous Deaths in Custody, have or will affect almost every Aboriginal individual, families and communities—either directly or indirectly. Unfortunately, I myself have had firsthand experience of being incarcerated, and have unfortunately been personally affected when a relative died while being arrested in Adelaide.
These experiences played a key role in my decision to become an artist, and have become a theme in a great deal of my artwork. I see my art as a way of expressing myself creatively, and hoping to start a conversation in regard to this topic. I am passionate about this social justice issue due to being an Anangu and Kokatha man. I use my artwork as a platform to continue to protest against the injustices suffered by Indigenous people, and the seemingly never-ending Black Deaths In Custody. Although this is an issue that affects mainly Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people here in Australia, this is a global issue and it is inclusive of all races.
All of these deaths, which occurred in custody, regardless of race or creed, are senseless, and in most cases preventable. We all have to continue to take a stand against this and maintain our principles; to prevent this issue becoming lost after a 48-hour news cycle—as it so often has. We must all remain vigilant in our stance against these murders! They occur far too often, within both the prison and justice systems. I use the term ‘murder’ due to the fact that a person, especially an Indigenous person, who commits such an act, taking another person’s life would find themselves instantly incarcerated. They would be charged, not given bail, imprisoned. Swiftly facing prosecution, and ultimately being convicted. Then sentenced in a court of law, given a sentence of between ten years to twenty-five years, with a maximum of life in prison. Even when they have concluded this sentence handed down by a judge and jury, they would remain in this justice system for the rest of their lives.
The perpetrators of these crimes against those who are incarcerated or being arrested, seem to flout the law. They escape punishment, the due process, which any other criminal would face. It fails to materialise. We continue to hear and see these types of offences being committed against Indigenous people by members of the justice system: police officers and prison officers. All of whom seem to escape unpunished. Our laws governed by the State and Federal Acts dictate what processes and punishments should be given to perpetrators of murder. These are the very laws they have sworn to uphold. Yet they seem immune to the very same laws. There remains almost no punishment or convictions, to this day, for the perpetrator of such crimes against those in custody. If they are employed by the justice system, they seem immune to not only prosecution, but to justice.
This is a social justice issue which needs to be addressed and these needless Deaths in Custody need to cease, until there are NO Deaths in Custody. We the Indigenous peoples of Australia want justice for our family members taken, murdered by those in authority. Why are they immune to legal justice? Why are those in positions of power and authority given a free pass and not charged or incarcerated? Why is no one held accountable?
Globally, these deaths in custody became an epidemic; American man George Floyd (RIP) ignited a collective consciousness. Now there is silence once again until the next Indigenous person in Australia succumbs to murder by authority! Nothing has changed, millions of dollars later, and many years passed. Some may find my explanations hard to digest or prefer to remain ignorant. Just remember those lost are members of families — Sons, Daughters, Uncles, Aunts, Mothers and Fathers, they matter and they deserve justice.
‘Doin Time’ for Indigenous people in Australia, is a time to worry about your survival! PLEASE HELP US TO STOP THESE SENSELESS DEATHS IN CUSTODY – OUR PEOPLE HAVE HAD ENOUGH. A ROYAL COMMISSION 30 YEARS AGO - 339 RECOMMENDATIONS, MANY STILL TO BE IMPLEMENTED AND STILL WE ARE LOSING OUR OWN MOB.
Arrested-ADIC (2021)
This is a staged photograph of me being arrested by the police. This is a metaphor for a Death of a relative which occurred in Adelaide. He could still be with us if he had been allowed to use his medication which was within arm's reach. The photo has been manipulated in Photoshop and relates to the theme of Aboriginal Deaths in Custody. This work reflects on preventable deaths, duty of care, and those free from prosecution.
My name is Matty Ngungin Moore, I am a First Nations man, an Anangu, a Traditional Owner of the Kokatha Mula Lands in Central South Australia—my Grandfather’s Country. I am also a descendant of the Anangu people of the Anangu Pitjantjara Yankunytjatjara Lands of Far North Western South Australia—my Grandmother’s Country.
I am a contemporary visual artist and my main creative process is painting, in which I utilise both oil and acrylic painting mediums. I have stepped out of my comfort zone with these artworks by using technology. The Procreate program, a digital painting program, and an iPad and iPencil, were used to create some of these artworks, while the other works used Photoshop. I am also an illustrator who sketches portraits, designs, and characters for use in stories which will become a graphic novel.
My artworks are socio-political, and the themes of my artworks range from traditional Anangu dot paintings, portraiture, and wildlife. The subject matter varies from Indigenous issues, incarceration of Indigenous people, Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, mental health, Frontier Wars, and other social issues I feel are personally concerning and have impacted upon me. I create artworks as a form of self-expression and my way of storytelling—a traditional characteristic of our culture which has survived thousands of years.
My artwork aims to enlighten the viewer, or create a conversation based around these issues. I use skills learnt while undertaking my Visual and Creative Arts Degree through Deakin University, at their Geelong, Waurn Ponds Campus.
Thank you to Rebekah Raymond, Joel Spring and Ellen Formby and all the staff at the Runway Journal. Thank you for this opportunity to showcase my experimental and new creations.
A special thank you, and show of appreciation to Daniel Connell, artist, lecturer and a source of inspiration and drive, who I appreciate and hope to collaborate with in the future.
Runway Journal acknowledges the custodians of the nations our digital platform reaches. We extend this acknowledgement to all First Nations artists, writers and audiences.
Runway Journal is assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body.
Runway Journal receives project support from the NSW Government through Create NSW.
Runway Journal acknowledges the custodians of the nations our digital platform reaches. We extend this acknowledgement to all First Nations artists, writers and audiences.
Runway Journal is assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body.
Runway Journal receives project support from the NSW Government through Create NSW.