Exhibition by Jonathan Jones, Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney,
The 32nd Kaldor Public Art Project named barrangal dyara (skin and bones) was created by Wiradjuri/Kamilaroi artist Jonathan Jones and presented a vast sculptural installation that stretched across 2 hectares of the Royal Botanic Garden in Oct 2016.
The Project made reference to the Garden Palace, built in 1879 and destroyed by fire in 1882 along with countless Aboriginal objects collected along the colonial frontier. The footprint of the Garden Palace was marked by thousands of white shields based on four typical designs from Aboriginal nations. Dense planting of Kangaroo Grass (Themedia triandra) in the circular space below the central dome of the Garden Palace made reference to the role and significance of native grasses to Aboriginal people.
