Born in 1971, Troy Bennell attended Bunbury’s South West Regional College of TAFE where he completed a course in Aboriginal Studies in 1988. Troy comes from a big family. His father’s family worked hard for a living and his mother and her siblings were all taken away from their parents as a child. His mother was taught a lot of her culture when she was little. When she was taken away she was not allowed to practise her own culture at all.

Troy’s parents’ memory of the rituals and practices of their culture have faded and they were not able to pass them along to their children. In an effort to reclaim his Indigenous history, Troy is actively involved with an Aboriginal dance group, which gives him an opportunity to learn from his elders and other members of the local Aboriginal community.

Strong artistic influences in Troy’s life include his mother’s two brothers, Danny and Lenny Khan, and artists Lance Chadd and Shane Pickett, who taught him the techniques of painting and inspired him to become a professional artist. Although his style is his own, the roots of Troy’s painting come from these two mentors.

Despite being fairly new on Western Australia’s Indigenous Art scene, Troy has quickly received recognition for his talent, winning the 2001 South West Survey Non Acquisition Worsley Alumina Award, and being included in four exhibitions and a number of local art collections. Troy helps other budding indigenous artists to develop their talent by facilitating art workshops in his high school, at Edith Cowan University's Bunbury campus, and for the Collie Family Centre & Disability Service Commission. Troy’s art has also achieved international recognition in Malaysia and Italy where he has exhibited in a number of group exhibitions in privately owned galleries.

Troy is currently painting a series based upon Noongar culture, specifically Song Lines and the six seasons. This style utilises cultural knowledge of Aboriginal travels during the seasons, the deep oral history of the Noongar people, and Aboriginal knowledge of animal and plant life. Troy uses his knowledge of the habits of the traditional Noongar People as told to him by his elders to inspire his work: the routes they travelled for millennium each year as the seasons changed, how they used and conserved and cared for the local animal and plant life, and their respect for the land. Troy creates spectacular works using bright, earthy colors mixed with local earth, which not only gives each piece a rough, textured, three dimensional feel and appearance, but also ensures each piece has been imbued with a piece of the soul of the Noongar people, their land.

Bunuru Song Lines ∙ 44 x 75 ∙ acrylic and sand on canvas ∙ $6,600

Bunuru Song Lines represent the traditional Noongar songs that would have been sung in the Bunuru season. Noongars have six seasons to the year. Bunuru is the second part of summer, from February to March. Bunuru would have been the ideal time of the year for special meetings.

The band of orange and yellow running through the centre of the painting represents the hot and dry weather; at this time of the year the weather conditions are hot and dry in daytime and warm at night. The red wavy lines represent the traditional songs and the dots represent the Noongars from this area singing the songs.

At this time of year, Noongars would be camping near the waterways: rivers, estuaries and the ocean. The blue brush strokes represent the waterways in which the Noongars would have hunted for food such as bream, perch, crabs, and marron.

Noongar Song Lines, Part I ∙ 39 x 96 ∙ acrylic and sand on canvas ∙ $7,600

Noongar Song Lines, Part II∙ 31 x 61 ∙ acrylic and sand on canvas ∙ $3,800

These paintings, Noongar Song Lines, Part I & II, represent Noongar Song Lines. The lines in these paintings are the songs being sung. The songs were used for a number of reasons: to confer good luck upon Noongar hunters, for special meetings and to mark significant places. Song Lines would have been a powerful way of communicating, and the use of the reds and the yellows reflect that strength. The dots in the paintings represent the Noongar people who come from the South West of Western Australia.

Mukuru Song Lines ∙ 60 x 39 ∙ acrylic and sand on canvas ∙ $4,600

Mukuru Song Lines represent traditional Noongar songs that would have been sung during the season of Mukuru, one of the six Noongar seasons. June to July is the coldest and wettest time of the year when the rains replenish the rivers and inland water resources. During this season, Noongars would have moved inland toward the hills for protection from the cold winds and rain. In this painting, the blue wavy lines represent the rains and plenty of water, as well as the traditional songs. The dots represent the Noongars from this area singing the songs.

Biroc ∙ 39 x 47 ∙ acrylic and sand on canvas ∙ $4,000

This painting represents Biroc, one of the six Noongar seasons. From December to January, the weather is hot and dry winds blow during the day. The red and yellow represent the hot, dry weather. The blue represents the water, as the Noongars would have been fishing and camping nearby. The dots represent the Noongars, who come from the South West of Western Australia.

All images on this site copyright to the artist © 2007 The Brigham Galleries
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