The Commercial | Archie Moore | 14 Queensland Nations (Nations Imagined by RH Mathews), 2014

Archie Moore, 14 Queensland Nations (Nations Imagined by RH Mathews), 2014, linen, 4 parts each: 170 x 83cm, from a series of 14 flags, TCG22789
(photo: Sofia Freeman/The Commercial)

Individual titles and design descriptions left to right:

Joongoonjie Nation  - Shield design from North Cape of Queensland. Colours: blue (sea), dark green (forest), red ochre (earth), white (clouds)
Koonjan Nation  - Shield design Atherton Tablelands.
Mycoolon Nation  - Black shape is Battle Mountain in Mt Isa. Kalkadoon people fought white people in a guerrilla type warfare for ten years on this mountain. They ruled what is called the emu foot province. They would mark their territory boundaries with an emu or cranes foot that was either painted onto rocks and trees or carved into the hard granite rock. This was also a warning for other Aboriginal clans not to pass these boundaries. Red shape is symbol for Emu. Red ochre (land) meeting pale blue (sea).
Yowerawarrika Nation - Colours: black (people), yellow (sun), green (shrubs), red (earth). Arrangement is attempt at typical flag design.

EXHIBITION HISTORY:

Courting Blakness: Recalibrating knowledge in the sandstone university, curated by Fiona Foley, The Great Court, University of Queensland, St Lucia Campus, 2014
Archie Moore – 14 Queensland Nations (nations imagined by RH Mathews), Canberra Contemporary Art Space, Canberra, 2014
Archie Moore – 14 Queensland Nations (nations imagined by RH Mathews), Tandanya – National Aborginal Cultural Institute, Adelaide, 2015 
Western Australian Indigenous Art Award, Art Gallery of Western Australian, 2015

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY:

  Broker, David, Archie Moore: 14 Queensland Nations (Nations Imagined by RH Mathews), exh. cat. Canberra Contemporary Art Space, Canberra, 2014 
Dow, Steve, ‘The National: New Australian Art’, Art Guide, 30 March, 2017 Maynard, John, ‘Archie Moore’, in The National New Australian Art, exh. cat. 2017, p112-113 
Moore, Archie, 14 Nations, Courting Blakness - Recalibrating Knowledge in the Sandstone University, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, 2015, pp118-123 
Moulton, Kimberley, Archie Moore, Western Australian Indigenous Art Awards 2015, exh. cat. Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth, p28 
Mundine, Djon, OAM, Archie Moore - Flags of Convenience, Vault, Issue 3, 2013, pp32-33 
Warden, Ian, Gang-gang: of flags, taxidermy and feral cats, Canberra Times, Oct 28 2014 
Wyld, Francis, Archie Moore 14 Queensland Nations (Nations imagined by RH Mathews), Artlink, Issue 35.2, June, 2015, p93

RELATED WORKS:

Archie Moore
United Neytions, 2014-2017
polyester, nylon, zinc plated alloy
an installation of 28 flags
two sizes:  360 x 180 cm and 180 x 180 cm 
TCG21222 
Commissioned for The National: New Australian Art, Carriageworks, Sydney, 2017
Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane

Archie Moore 
United Neytions, 2014-2018 
Polyester, nylon, zinc-plated alloy on stainless steel frame
an installation of 28 flags
two sizes: 456 × 228 cm; 228 × 228 cm 
stainless steel frame: 2000 × 1700 cm TCG21651
Collection: Sydney Airport, commissioned in partnership with the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia