Down Under Pittsburgh

I guess my interest in social theory informs my posting about the arts scene in Pittsburgh. The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is promoting the work of Australian artists at the Wood Street Galleries:

“WORKIN' DOWN UNDER features the work of five contemporary Australian artists who, through diverse media and approaches, explore issues of identity across cultures and time, including its own demise,” writes Wood Street Galleries curator Murray Horne.

Hailing from a country of colonists and colonized, John Gillies and Christian Bumbarra Thompson reflect complicated relationships with the nation’s past. Gillies’ sheep in Divide are an apt metaphor for the quandaries of occupation, territory and genealogy. In looping a video clip of a traditional greeting between the artist and his father, Thompson suggests the eternal endurance of aboriginal culture--one that has already persisted at least 40,000 years.

And not to forget the good folks over in nearby Y-Town, there is a lot on tap for this coming weekend. All you Yinzers way out there in Butler (and Northern Allegheny) County head west for change to get your culture fix.