Robert Bleyerveen; AKA @Robsuite majored in Painting and studied Printmaking at the Canberra School of Art, graduating in 1982. He held his first solo show at the Artist Collective, Bitumen River Gallery, Manuka ACT in 1983, followed by many solo and group exhibitions. His works have been installed into public spaces and reviewed in published critiques.
Bleyerveen engages with historical and contemporary conversations on cultural identity, exploring an intimate engagement through changing perspectives and attitudes. Drawing on his ancestral connections and with our growing Indigenous understandings, he’s sustained a close relationship with Canberra. Showing his art in alternative arts venues, ‘On Lonsdale St’ 2001-07 engaged with the revitalisation of Braddon. His exhibition ‘Both Sides of The Fence’ 2017 explored Aboriginal, convict and settler history of Belconnen.
‘Neither Here nor There’ focused on our shared Indigenous pathways to the coast. Since 2005 he’s developed his well- known Winyu Sun series based on our local native grasslands. Although continuing to battle nerve injuries in both arms, his exhibition ‘Treading Lightly in One Place’ (M16 artspace 2019) turned these physical constraints into a positive opportunity for deeper awareness and sense of discovery within his arts practice. His works merge our stories and histories together, resonating with our unique natural environment, to celebrate our connections to place, and relationship with each other.
Capital Arts Patrons’ Organisation, Braddon ACT, 2019 ISBN 978-0-9944371-4-3
- Writers:
-
OzArt
Michael Bogle
- Date written:
- 2021
- Last updated:
- 2021
