Umbrella Floortalks
10:30am Saturday 22 February 2025
Umbrella Floortalks
Nephi Denham & Michael Pope
Nephi Denham with some of his large-scale sculptures at Girringun Aboriginal Art Centre. Photograph: Sabrina Toby.
Join Umbrella to hear from exhibiting artists Nephi Denham and Michael Pope.
Girramay artist Nephi Denham will speak about his arts practice, his work on display in his exhibition Bonday Muggie, and his work at Girringun Aboriginal Art Centre. Michael Pope will discuss his exhibition The Ecstasy of Gold, inspired by the complicated western genre, notions of good and evil, pop culture and cinephilia. In preparation, stream Sergio Leonie's iconic Italian spaghetti western, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly for free on SBS On Demand here.
Bonday Muggie and The Ecstasy of Gold are on display alongside Asia Pacific Triennial Kids on Tour until 16 March 2025.
Nephi Denham is based on Girramay Country / Cardwell, North Queensland. The artist and artworker first started work with Girringun Aboriginal Art Centre in 2009, learning from his elders. Since then, Denham has continued developing his arts practice, and shares his skills as the Workshop Assistant for the centre. Denham's art practice predominantly spans ceramics and weaving. He often reinterprets the weaving style from his elders with new materials such as coloured wired and whipper snipper cable. Bonday Muggie is presented in partnership with Girringun Aboriginal Art Centre.
Michael Pope is a practicing artist, teacher and museum / gallery worker based in Gurambilbarra / Townsville. He has an interdisciplinary practice that often involves collaboration across a range of mediums including drawing, sculptural installation and ceramics. He holds a BA of Visual Arts and a Graduate Diploma of Teaching and Learning from the University of Southern Queensland. Pope has worked in various roles in the museum and gallery sector including at Rockhampton Art Gallery, Museum of Brisbane, Jan Murphy Gallery, Pinnacles and Perc Tucker Regional Galleries and International Arts Services. He is the founder of Urban Sketchers Townsville, a free community drawing group and an artist member of Murky Waters Studio.
Image: Michael Pope. Photograph: Amanda Galea.
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Qld, 4810 Australia
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Qld, 4810 Australia
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Acknowledgement of Country
Umbrella Studio Contemporary Arts respectfully acknowledges the Wulgurukaba of Gurambilbarra and Yunbenun and the surrounding groups of our region - Bindal, Gugu Badhan, Nywaigi, Warrgamay, Bandjin and Gudjal - as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we gather, share and celebrate local creative practice. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging. We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders as the first people of Australia. They have never ceded sovereignty and remain strong in their enduring connection to land and Culture.
Umbrella is a Member & Signatory of the Indigenous Art Code. This means we are committed to fair and ethical trade with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists, and transparency in the promotion and sale of artwork. As a Dealer Member and signatory to the Code we must act fairly, honestly, professionally and in good conscience in all direct or indirect dealings with artists.
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Acknowledgements
Umbrella is supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland, part of the Department of Communities, Housing and Digital Economy, and by the Visual Arts and Craft Strategy, an initiative of the Australian, state and territory governments. | Umbrella is supported by the Tim Fairfax Family Foundation and receives funding from Creative Australia through the Australian Cultural Fund. | Townsville City Council is a funding partner of Umbrella's program.
