Harry James "HJ" Wedge (1957 – 8 November 2012) was a

Wiradjuri The Wiradjuri people (; ) are a group of Aboriginal Australian people from central New South Wales, united by common descent through kinship and shared traditions. They survived as skilled hunter-fisher-gatherers, in family groups or clans, a ...

artist.

Early life and education

Wedge was born in

Erambie Mission Erambie Mission is an Aboriginal Australians, Aboriginal community located on the western banks of the Lachlan River, from the town of Cowra, in the Central West, New South Wales, Central West region of New South Wales, Australia. History Eram ...

Cowra Cowra () is a town in the Central West, New South Wales, Central West region of New South Wales, Australia. It is the largest population centre and the council seat for the Cowra Shire, with a population of 8,254. Cowra is located approximate ...

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

. Prior to starting his artwork professionally, Wedge worked as a driver and fruit picker until he headed to

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

to enrol at the

Eora Centre for the Visual and Performing Arts TAFE NSW is an Australian vocational education and training provider. Annually, the network trains over 500,000 students in campus, workplace, online, or distance education methods of education. It was established as an independent statutory bod ...

Career

After graduating from the college he became a member of the

Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Cooperative The Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Co-operative was founded in 1987 in the Sydney suburb of Redfern, New South Wales. Among the legacies of the Co-operative are the Deadly Awards for achievement in the Indigenous Australian community, which occu ...

, exhibiting with contemporaries such as Ian Abdulla and Elaine Russell. In 1992 he held a

solo exhibition A solo show or solo exhibition is an art exhibition, exhibition of the work of only one artist. Rather than a group of artists who collaborate to form an exhibition. The artwork may be paintings, drawings, etchings, collage, sculpture, or photogr ...

called ''Wiradjuri Spirit Man'' at

Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute The Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute, usually referred to as Tandanya, is an art museum located on Grenfell Street in Adelaide, South Australia. It specialises in promoting Indigenous Australian art, including visual art, music a ...

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

as well as at Boomalli. In 1993, Wedge was represented in ''Australian Perspecta'' at the

Art Gallery of New South Wales The Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW), founded as the New South Wales Academy of Art in 1872 and known as the National Art Gallery of New South Wales between 1883 and 1958, is located in The Domain, Sydney, Australia. It is the most import ...

and was artist-in-residence during which he created the narrative work ''Stop and think''. The Art Gallery of NSW describes Wedge's work in the following way: "His work focuses on post-colonial narrative and examines current social and environmental issues. He has said that he tries "...to paint what I dream, what I hear on, things you can even hear people talking about on the train...". His powerful paintings operate seductively, enchanting the viewer with signature lyrical figures that he combines with arresting political statements. His figures, refusing to be silenced, become social commentators and express the injustices of the past". A monograph on Wedge's work, ''Wiradjuri Spirit Man'', was published in 1996 by Art and Australia, with an introduction by Brenda L. Croft and an essay by Judith Ryan. Containing a selection of Wedge's vivid paintings and engaging stories, his work is by turns humorous, confronting and direct. His work is held in many major private and public collections, including the

National Gallery of Australia The National Gallery of Australia (NGA), formerly the Australian National Gallery, is the national art museum of Australia as well as one of the largest art museums in Australia, holding more than 166,000 works of art. Located in Canberra in th ...

National Gallery of Victoria The National Gallery of Victoria, popularly known as the NGV, is an art museum in Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1861, it is Australia's oldest and list of most visited art museums in the world, most visited art mu ...

and

Queensland Art Gallery The Queensland Art Gallery (QAG) is an art museum located in South Bank, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The gallery is part of QAGOMA. It complements the Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) building, situated only away. The Queensland Art Galle ...

Recognition

Wedge was awarded the Australian Aboriginal Fellowship by the New South Wales Minister for the Arts.

Death and legacy

He died on 8 November 2012. His funeral was held at St Raphael's Church in Cowra.

References

Australian painters People from Cowra 2012 deaths 1958 births Wiradjuri people Australian Aboriginal artists {{Australia-painter-stub