Exhibitions

Biography

Rex was born on Flinders Island, one the islands in the Furneaux Group of Islands situated 30 kilometres from the North East coast of Tasmania. Rex’s Aboriginal lineage is from his grandfather Silas Mansell and his mother Dulcie Greeno (dec).

He drew his inspirations on his experience of commercial fishing with his grandfather and helping his father build a fishing boat.

Rex then read the paper compiled by Rona Hollingsworth to discover the range of fibre materials used to build the Tasmanian Aboriginal watercraft.

From Hollingsworth’s research, Rex was keen to read there were three different types of canoe hulls built in swamp tea-tree or paper bark, stringy bark and reeds.

Artist statement

trukati (high tide), 2020 – 21

laymina (lagoon), 2020 - 21

ningher, 2019

The inspiration to build my canoes came from my life experience as a Commercial Fisherman, and helping to build a fishing boat. Most of my knowledge and skills were learnt from my grandfather, my uncle Tommy, Dad, and brother Bruce.

My interest grew once I read Rona Hollingsworth’s paper written on the Tasmanian Aboriginal watercraft, as well as viewing a CT scan of a traditional canoe made from stringy bark by a group of Aboriginal men. My first bark canoe was made of paper bark from swamp tea-tree. I also managed to view a scanned version of a model sized historic bark canoe from the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery collection.

The initial success of my first series of canoes meant they were all acquired, by Melbourne Museum, the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, National Museum of Australia, National Gallery of Australia and the Museum of Old and New Art, Hobart. I also made 10 small canoes for Ten Days on the Island Festival, which entered public and private collections.

My aim was to follow the cultural connection to objects, Country and fibres by using the reeds to create my new canoe series, although I found it difficult to gather enough reeds from a particular place to make a canoe. I gained a permit to gather reeds from the edge of the Tamar River.

The reed canoes are made up of three hulls, one main and two side hulls. Each hull is made up from a frame to form the shape. The frame is then covered with reeds and bound with hemp string then joined to make up the three hulls together. A mesh net was made from jute twine to maintain the reeds shape and structure.

The wooden implements in the exhibition are spears, paddles, throwing sticks, pushing rods, all made from mountain tea-tree.

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