Created by
Presten
Homeland by Painted Studios in Port Lincoln
Homeland
Homelands give Aboriginal people a sense of home and a sense of belonging while contributing to their cultural responsibilities of caring for their country and managing the natural resources of their land and seas.
Extended families in larger towns also frequently visit their homelands to spend restorative time there, reconnecting with their culture and traditional country.
Homelands contribute significantly to Aboriginal people’s overall health, well-being, and importantly, to their thriving art practice and industry.
Strong discipline comes through the spirits of our fathers talking through the land. Spirits are the reason those living on their homelands cannot be moved on other people’s land. The spirits don’t recognise us.
Outside the homelands traditional lawmen have no authority and Aboriginal people would be exposed to and learn the white man’s way with all its threats to Aboriginal culture.
Meet the Artist
Meet the Artist
Port Lincoln, AustraliaHello, my name is Presten and I am a 23 year old indigenous artist living in Port Lincoln, South Australia. I was born in Port Augusta and grew up in Ceduna and I am a Wirangu/Dieri/Kokotha/Mirning tribe member.
With a rare combination of land & sea bloodlines, I am a child of the desert & ocean tribes of South Australia. I am a country boy, have country blood and country in my soul.
Art has always been a big part of my life. It is my outlet, my safety, my pride and my church. Art is something my family and my culture have been practising for millenia.
I have always been interested in all types of art and I am so passionate about all mediums, forms and tools within the art world and the endless options to create something strange, beautiful and captivating.
Art does something to us. It provokes and stimulates something deep within us that we all share. It is a very special form of story telling and one which is sacred to my culture.
I often lose myself in my own thoughts as I tell my stories through painting. I love that we can all let our imaginations spill out onto canvas with such bewildering colours and uniquely textured details telling stories in ways that words just can't.
My mother and grandmother taught me everything I know about art and I am so grateful for the passion they ignited in me.
It feels good to be able to keep this important tradition alive in our family and hopefully pass it on to generations ahead.
I live with my partner Troy who runs his own digital design business, Dreamweave and our two Jack Russells Max & Ruby.
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