Pitcha Makin Fellas

We are a deadly artist mob from Ballarat, passionate about our culture and community. This exhibition is an expression of who we are, where we come from and a celebration of what we do.

We are serious about our work but humour is a big part of the adventure. We invite you to open your eyes to the history of this nation. To see that we, as First Peoples maintain our sovereign rights, uphold our culture and remember and honour our Ancestors.
– Pitcha Makin Fellas, 2015

The Pitcha Makin Fellas are a group of artists and writers based in Ballarat that are passionate about culture and community. Getting together to yarn, paint and write weekly in their studio in country Victoria, the Pitcha Makin Fellas have soared to create vibrant expressions of their personal histories and stories as Aboriginal men.

Meeting for the first time in 2013 the group started collaborating on paintings straight away, gradually building relationships with each other and a unique style of working. From this first meeting the group have had many impressive achievements including solo exhibitions and having their work collected by private and public institutions, including the National Gallery of Victoria. Using acrylic paint and creating large cut-outs and stamps the Pitcha Makin Fellas make art that tells stories through bright patterns inspired by the environment, Aboriginal history and historical south eastern mark making.

The best way to arm yourself in this modern world is to understand the history of the old people and how we got here.
– Pitcha Makin Fellas, 2015

The process of making pictures is completely collaborative with everyone able to contribute ideas and develop different methods to make the artwork. The Fellas see humour and laughter as an important part of making art; tongue-in-cheek titles of the work allude to the histories they are thinking about and encourage the viewer to ‘open their eyes’ to the story unfolding. Although playing with language is a key element to their work, the ideas made visible and stories told have great meaning and honour both the good and the harder stories of Aboriginal history. Ultimately their work is to present the strength and pride that they have in their culture.

Getting together and creating is more than just making art for the Pitcha Makin Fellas, it is a cultural space of learning and reviving story and connection to culture.

Painting and creating for us is to help encourage and develop strong men who work creatively for community.
– Pitcha Makin Fellas, 2015

Open Your Eyes in the Birrarung Gallery closed on 19 June 2016.

Exhibition Curator: Kimberley Moulton