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jason hapke

"The Beginning of Life" by Jason G Hapke

$1,495.00

Commission Painting

I grew up between the city and the country. When I was a young bloke, I enjoyed the outdoors and loved the experience of fishing for barramundi and the experience of land animals. For me, culture was always in my heart and mind when venturing to country as a child. As I grew and understood cultural histories, I took on different forms of mindset to where I find myself today.

I'm a proud Yamatji man who lives on Noongar land that in past history may not have been allowed. How far we have come today. Regarding my Aboriginal heritage, I will always have in my heart where I'm from, which is the Yamatji tribe's land. My art reflects as much of my young memory as I can to paint and create a future story that people will be able to understand and appreciate moving forward into the future for our culture. To be free in this land is and always has been the dream.

I'em blessed in the sense of being able to paint on canvas or board, my culture's present and past stories for the world. I have spent 90% of my life here in Perth, I feel my culture every day in my blood. The style of art I paint allows me to fill a void that sits in my heart an mind, and helps me to feel connected in many different forms. For me, my skin is my biggest art that helps me to tell my story and I feel my young son will one day be able to him self tell his story from the same perspective one day.

When I was 17yrs old my mother's cousin was commissioned to paint the Polly Farmer freeway (EAST SIDE) which he had considered taking on me as a supporting artist. This did not eventuate because of my troubled youth, although I feel my storytelling had been noticed some time ago through my art. My journey of storytelling is only being told to the public now for the first time through my words.

My many paintings that have been requested over the years have told my stories. This has been my journey of storytelling for the later years of my life. I have been told that knowledge can equal power in regard to cultural histories but for myself, this ended in heart ache and tears to realise that through school teaching the truth was not the case here and around my cultural aspects my art helps me to express joy and healing as oppose to tears and anger of misguidance. I look forward to many more paintings many more stories and many more discoveries.

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