JOHN WEERONGA BARTOO

The First Corroboree



Born: 1943 Brisbane

• Aboriginal
• Abstract
• Contemporary
• Painter
• Traditional
• Established

Two Hills in the Desert

I was born in Brisbane, a descendant of the Kooma people from around South Western Queensland. My Aboriginal grandmother raised me after my parents died when I was young, she believed if she gave me a European education that I would be accepted. I had no contact with my culture and this left me very confused.
In late 2002 while recovering my health I felt an urge to paint. I am a self taught artist. My art is my way of finding myself and learning about my culture, I paint the stories of my life and that of my family and my interpretations of the Dreamtime stories.
My art has given me the opportunity to exhibit and visit so many diverse countries, winning international art awards has given my culture and my art a higher profile.
My paintings are held in private collections in Australia, Austria, Canada, China, England, France, Italy, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Jordan, New Zealand, Scotland, Taiwan, The Netherlands & the US. I am gallery collected by the Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery.
My future in art will be guided by the spirits.

Land of Dreams

2003 Started Painting

Awards 2011 Finalist Sovereign Asian Art Prize, Hong Kong
2011 Finalist Park Art Fair International Geneva, Switzerland
2011 Highly Commended Southern Downs Artists Exhibition Warwick
2010 Finalist Tattersall’s Landscape Art Prize
2009 Finalist Gold Coast Art Prize
2009 Local Artist Award Warwick Art Prize
2009 Highly Commended Warwick Art Prize
2009 Finalist Kath Dickson Art Prize Toowoomba
2008 2nd Prize Palm Art Award, Leipzig, Germany
2008 Selected Artist 2008 Chelsea International Fine Art Competition, New York
2008 Finalist Redlands Art Awards, Cleveland, Australia
2008 Finalist Waltzing Matilda Art Competition, Winton, Australia
2008 Finalist Stanthorpe Art Prize, Stanthorpe, Australia
2007 Finalist Louis Vuitton Art Prize, Hong Kong
2007 Finalist Sovereign Asian Art Prize, Hong Kong
2007 Award of Excellence, Manhattan Arts Gallery, New York
2007 Award of Excellence, Real Time, London, UK
2007 Award of Excellence, Artoteque, London, UK
2007 Finalist Best of the Year, Marziart Gallery, Hamburg, Germany
2007 Finalist Stan & Maureen Duke Gold Coast Art Prize, Australia
2007 Finalist Warwick Art Prize, Warwick, Australia
2007 Highly Commended, Spirit of the Outback, Winton, Australia
2006 “Ercole d’Este,” Estense Palace, Ferrara, Italy
2006 Finalist Warwick Art Prize, Warwick, Australia
2005 1st Prize, Aboriginal Art Section, Bentley, Australia
2005 3rd Prize, RNA Indigenous Art Prize, Brisbane, Australia
2005 Highly Commended, Bentley Art prize, Bentley, Australia
2005 Finalist Warwick Art Prize, Warwick, Australia
2004 1st Prize, Aboriginal Art Section, Mungindi, Australia
2004 1st Prize, Lower Clarence Art Competition, Australia
2004 2nd Prize, Dalby at Fair, Dalby, Australia
2004 2nd Prize, RNA Indigenous Art Prize, Brisbane, Australia
2004 Highly Commended, Black Soil Plains, Moree, Australia
2004 Highly Commended, Bentley Art Prize, Bentley, Australia
2004 4th Prize, Lower Clarence Art Competition, Australia
2004 Finalist Warwick Art Prize, Warwick, Australia
2004 Finalist Ergon Energy Art Award, Rockhampton, Australia
2003 1st Prize, RNA Indigenous Art Prize, Brisbane, Australia

Solo Exhibitions
2012 July Artspace, Lightning Ridge
2011 “Cotton and Paper” Pepperina Gallery Nobby Australia
2011 “Spirit of Bartoo” Galeria Zero Barcelona Spain
2010 “Quiet Man Dreaming” Colorida Gallery, Lisbon, Portugal
2009 “Dreamtime Walkabout” Inverell Art Gallery, Inverell, Australia
2009 “Stories of a Quiet Man” Brunswick Street Gallery, Melbourne
2008 “Two Cultures, One Soul” Toowoomba Regional Gallery, Australia
2006 “Bartoos Dreaming” RM Galleries, Brisbane, Australia
2005 “The Man & His Art” Gallery 307, Sydney, Australia
2005 “The Man & His Stories” Roxy Gallery, Kyogle, Australia
2004 Picnic Point Restaurant, Toowoomba, Australia
2004 Inverell Art Gallery, Inverell, Australia
Group Exhibitions
2012 June “A Collaboration” Toowoomba Regional Gallery
2011 “Art et Automne” Paris France
2011 “Meeting in Brooklyn” BAG Gallery, Brooklyn New York
2011 “Weeronga Bartoo and Friends” The Gallery Lightning Ridge
2011 “Contemporary Aboriginal Art” Gallery 307, Northbridge Sydney
2011 Collectivo Arts Gala Martin Galleries Nundah Brisbane
2011 “World View” Galeria Zero Barcelona Spain
2010 “Contemporanea” Aarwun Gallery, Canberra
2010 “Contemporanea” Smart Artz Gallery, Melbourne
2010 Galerie Bohner, Mannheim, Germany
2010 Downlands College, Toowoomba
2010 NAIDOC Exhibition Kath Dickson Centre, Toowoomba
2010 Artist Haven Gallery Fort Lauderdale Florida USA
2010 Sanctuary Cove Art Festival, Gold Coast
2010 Artist Haven Gallery, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA
2010 “Little Treasures” De Marchi Gallery, Bologna, Italy
2010 31st Rotary Art Spectacular, Riverside Centre, Brisbane
2010 “Group 1” Martin Galleries, Nundah, Brisbane
2010 “Contemporary International Masters” Museum
Of Southern Nevada, Las Vegas
2010 “Art As A Feeling” Galeria Zero Barcelona, Spain
2010 Contemporary Art Network, NYC, NY, USA
2009 “Santa said”Eskimo Nell Will Not Be Appearing” Roxy Gallery, Kyogle
2009 “Earth Song”Warwick Regional Gallery, Warwick
2009 “Just Art” Galeria Zero, Barcelona, Spain
2009 “20th Anniversary Exhibition” Waterfront Place, Brisbane
2009 “Connections” Warwick Regional Gallery, Warwick, Australia
2009 “an art’istic meeting” Erenus Gallery, Ankara, Turkey
2009 “Krakozyabra ” Gallery Gabrichidze, Brussels, Belguim
2008 “Walking Backwards for Christmas” Roxy Gallery, Kyogle, Australia
2008 Louis Vuitton Global Store, Guam
2008 “Palm Art Award” Art Domain Gallery, Leipzig, Germany
2008 “Ferrara Collective” Art Domain Gallery, Leipzig, Germany
2008 “Collective Exhibition” 2008 Chelsea International Fine Art Competition
Agora Gallery, Chelsea, New York, USA
2008 “Special Guest” Marziart Gallery, Hamburg, Germany
2008 “Little Treasures” De Marchi Gallery, Bologna, Itlay
2008 “Instants” Dolmabahce Palace Gallery, Istanbul, Turkey
2008 “Grand Opening” Martin Galleries, Brisbane, Australia
2008 Gallery 307, Sydney, Australia
2007 Florence Biennale, Fortezza da Basso, Florence, Italy
2007 “Fra Sogno e Realta’” Trento, Italy
2007 Louis Vuitton Travelling Art Show, Louis Vuitton, Hong Kong
2007 Sovereign Asian Art Prize, Landmark, Hong Kong
2007 “Sogni a Colori” Predazzo, Italy
2007 “Four Countries, One Spirit” Habitat Gallery, Denver, USA
2007 “Real Monte di Pieta” Barletta Castle, Barletta, Italy
2007 “Le Stanze della Memoria” Svevo Castle, Trani, Italy
2007 “Out From Downunder & Beyond” Agora Gallery, Chelsea, New York, US
2007 “Follow The Water” Warwick Regional Gallery, Warwick, Australia
2007 “The Clue is Inside” Roxy Gallery, Kyogle, Australia
2007 “Wish” KILN Gallery, Brisbane, Australia
2006 “Magic, The Magic Paths of Art” Estense Palace, Ferrara, Italy
2006 “Out From Downunder & Beyond” Agora Gallery, Soho, New York, USA
2006 “Grand Opening” RM Galleries, Brisbane, Australia
2006 “From The Stable” RM Galleries, Brisbane, Australia
2006 “Moving Art” Armidale Regional Gallery, Armidale, Australia
2006 “Tres Spiritus” Theo’s Restaurant, Warwick, Australia
2005 “The Road to Melbourne” Blue Dot Gallery, Toronto, Canada
2005 Art Expo, Brisbane, Australia
2005 NAIDOC Week Toowoomba, Australia
2005 NAIDOC Week Footsteps Gallery, Brisbane, Australia
2005 NAIDOC Inala, Brisbane, Australia
2004 College of Hospitality, Nice, France
Collections
2009 Inverell Art Gallery
2008 Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery
Gallery Representation
2011– 2012 Galeria Zero, Barcelona Spain
2011 Gallery 307 Northbridge Sydney
2010 - 2011 Gerold Maier Marketing, Mannheim, Germany
2010 Colorida Gallery, Lisbon Portugal
2009 – 2010 Artists Haven Gallery, Fort Lauderdale, Florida USA
2009 – 2010 Contemporary Art Network, NYC, NY, USA
2009 – 2010 Australian High Commission, Hong Kong
2009 – 2011 Astras Galleries Marina Mirage Gold Coast Qld
2006 – 2009 Art Gallery Collections Surfers Paradise Qld
2006 – 2010 Trevisan International Arte, Ferrara, Italy
2009 – 2010 Douglas Lillico, Hong Kong & China
2008 Art-Lease Hong Kong
2008 - 2009 Gallery 307, Northbridge, Sydney, Australia
2007 - 2008 Louis Vuitton, Hong Kong
2007 - 2008 Gallery of Iesha Stewart, Townsville, Australia
2007 - 2008 Dural Galleries, Dural, Australia
2006 - 2007 Agora Gallery, Chelsea, New York, US
2006 RM Galleries, Brisbane, Australia
2005 - 2006 Agora Gallery, Soho, New York, US
2005 McGraths Gallery, North Sydney, NSW
Print 2010 Cover of Best of Worldwide Water Media Artists by Kennedy Publishing 2009 Painting “Dreamtime Walkabout” reproduced in an English Text
Book for Danish Students titled “Pit Stop 9”
2009 Australian Art Collector
2007 International Contemporary Masters published in the US
2007 “Australia highlife Downs Living “Winter Edition
Other 2011 Judge of the International Opal Jewellery Design Lightning Ridge
2010 – ongoing John designs textiles for Spoonflower and has his own collection
of 100% Silk Ladies Scarves
Commissions
2007 Highflo Company, Lower Hutt, New Zealand
2004 Wind River Pastoral Company, Qld, Australia

Affiliations
Accredited Member of Artworkers Alliance in Queensland
Primary Member of Viscopy.com
Premiere Member Absolutearts.com


Paintings are held in private collections in Australia, Austria, Canada, China, England, France, Italy, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Jordan, New Zealand, Scotland, Taiwan, The Netherlands, and the USA