Syron has been painting for over 30 years and has been named as an influence
by luminary indigenous artist Gordon Hookey. He was a co-founder of the Eora
Centre, mentoring emerging artists such as Isabel Coe and James Simons. He also
served as president of the Aboriginal Deaths in Custody Watch committee.
Writer and the curator of indigenous culture at the Powerhouse Museum,
James Wilson-Miller has exhibited Syron’s work numerous times.
“Gordon has been recognised as the father of urban [indigenous] art, especially
here in NSW,” he says.
“[His work] really symbolises the loss of land, the loss of culture – the
loss of identity in those areas. Indigenous culture is alive and well because
we have people like Gordon.”
The pair moved into their rail shed abode last October as part of
Redfern-Waterloo Authority (RWA) initiative to index their collection. The
Syrons were facing eviction as early as September 1 after their initial
agreement with the RWA broke down. Geoff Turnbull,
spokesman for local community watchdog RedWatch has since negotiated an
extension of their tenancy, but the collection’s future is still in doubt.
“I don’t know where we’re gonna go to or anything like that,” says Gordon
Syron. “It’s a hell of a situation.”
The collection contains over 1400 original artworks, countless photographs
and artefacts representing the development of urban aboriginal art since the
1970’s to present, and a photographic dossier of pivotal events and
personalities over the same period.
“It is a priceless collection, it can never ever be replaced,” says Syron.
“It tells a complete story. If it wasn’t together, it would tell a different
story.”
Elaine Syron immigrated to Australia
as an English teacher from the United
States in 1971. She moved into photography
full-time to document the blooming indigenous rights movement at a time when
negative stereotypes were rife.
“All those things were happening in Redfern and I realised that nobody was
taking pictures,” she says.
“What I saw was Aboriginal people really achieving and becoming self
sufficient. Every time something important happened, I tried to cover it for
aboriginal documentation.”
Despite the collection’s immense value and their own financial hardship,
Gordon and Elaine are determined to keep the bulk of their collection together
as a record of this critical period for indigenous rights and creative
expression.
“They could sell one of the paintings that’s hanging on the wall there for
$1.5 million, he’s already turned that down,” Turnbull says.
“They want it to be available to the public as a collection, but they don’t
have the money to be able to finance that. Somehow we have to keep this, or at
least the gems of this, in the public domain.”
Tertiary archiving co-operative UNILINC has begun assessing the collection
but completing the job would be a lengthy process, one likely to exceed their
time at the current premises. If this occurs, they will need interim storage
but the collection’s ultimate resting place is of most concern – ideally in its
spiritual home, Redfern.
“An indigenous person coming from Western
Australia would want to go to Redfern first; it’s had
that drawing power for well over 100 years,” Wilson-Miller says.
“[The collection] is like an unofficial museum of Redfern.
It’s really what the area of Redfern-Waterloo needs, to have a repository for
something like that.”
Parties interested in viewing Gordon and Elaine’s collection or who can
assist in finding a space should contact REDWatch on 9318 0824 or at
www.redwatch.org.au.