Ramani McLean: A New Voice in First Nations Art
A woman of the sun and water, a surfer, and an artist - let us introduce you to Ramani McLean.
As a Quandamooka (Stradbroke Island) woman based on the Gold Coast, Ramani has spent her entire life in, around and next to the ocean. While surfing is a big part of Ramani’s life, it is her art that has been the constant. When you are young, the barrage of well-intended older people asking you what you’re going to do when you grow up is relentless, and sometimes more pressurising than helpful. For Marni though, being an artist is something that is innate, a testament to her cultural lineage and life spent pursuing what brings her joy. At just twenty years old, Marni has already created her own style within the Indigenous art space and is certainly someone we think is on the precipice of an incredible career.
You’re a Quandamooka woman - can you tell me about the motifs relevant to Minjerribah?
Minjerribah is our island home, the way of life very much revolves around the water, we are saltwater people. To name only a few; our magnificent yalingbila (whales) that migrate through our region with the changing seasons welcoming those to our country. Yugari (pipi shells) our people have gathered and shared yugari as a source of nourishment together for generations. Our beautiful botanicals and biyigi (sun) as Minjerribah translates in English to ‘island in the sun.’
Can you explain what you mean by alternative Aboriginal art?
When I started creating art as a little girl, I learnt very quickly that I gravitated towards vibrant colours, rough and wild mediums, weird fashion and emotionally expressive techniques. For me it’s way more than just creating something that looks good; it’s a form of cultural storytelling but also personal expression. Whilst I have always loved creating fundamentally traditional pieces with earthy tones and themes to tell clear stories, I have felt extremely artistically fed when I create pieces with bright, contemporary and abstract styles. So I thought why not do both, so these days I do exactly that. ‘Alternate Aboriginal Art’ is my way of cultural storytelling whilst keeping that personal emotional outlet alive for myself.
Do you think your surfing has an influence on your art and vice versa?
Absolutely. I started surfing before I can even remember and I always knew surfing was one of the biggest teachers in my life. Surfing taught me patience, trust, discipline and that things are bloody boring inside my comfort zone. There was never a point in my life where I thought I’d be a professional surfer, for me it’s always been for the love of it.
With art it’s always been quite the opposite; I’ve always had a deep sense of knowing that this was the career for me because it simply came naturally. I truly believe I’ve been gifted with my lessons from surfing to pull me back down to earth in the art world. Like any crazily passionate creative, I have the devil on my shoulder; I get frustrated, impatient and at times I definitely question myself completely. Surfing has taught me to simply just chill TF out, come back every day to improve, hopefully find a better outcome than yesterday, wait for the set, and if that doesn’t work, sit on the inside and pick off the scraps. Both crafts have taught me that everything doesn’t always have to be the be-all and end-all in my world, success is not linear but to still come back to it every day and trust the process. It all has seemingly worked out one way or another through that mindset. Funnily enough, my professional art journey actually started because I kept getting asked by friends in the water to paint their surfboards after seeing my own.
What parts of your environment inspire your art?
I am so incredibly lucky to come home to Bundjalung Country. It’s common knowledge that this coastline is ever giving, spiritually, culturally and visually. If ever I’m feeling my creativity is running thin, I take a walk, go for a surf or look towards my social circle to gain new perspectives.
Music is also really influential to me and I’ve been experimenting with how different genres affect my work. When I was curating my recent collection, ‘For the Love’ I strictly listened to variations of high vibrational rock like Pink Floyd, Stevie Nicks, Oasis, Eagles, Aerosmith, Radiohead, a bit of Busby Marou. Music can make or break my mood, so I try to keep it positive. Then as much as travelling puts a fork in my workflow, I always come back with fresh eyes and new ideas. I didn’t know how artistically driven the world is until I went to Europe last year. Portugal and parts of Greece were really pivotal places for me. There are some seriously cool humans in that part of the world.
Are you from a family of artists? Is that where you learned to paint or just have the gift?
I have artist roots through both my mum and dad’s side of the family, all very different but all equally as talented. From Aboriginal artists, to realist artists and abstract artists.
However I was personally never taught. My art has evolved, twisted and turned throughout my life. My parents have said that when I was young, barely talking, I was always really into crafts as most kids are, but then it got to a point where they realised it was more than a bit of fun for me. I would sit for hours drawing & painting, before school, after and whenever I had the chance in between. Then in grade eight, my essential art teacher offered me a position in The Arts Excellence program at Palm Beach Currumbin High School. There I was forced to explore different genres, techniques and styles that I had never even heard of before. In my final two years of high school I moved to COOEE GC for surfing and ultimately an alternate education (school was not for me!). That’s where I did the surf and arts program, was selected as a cultural captain and when onto mentor up-and-coming mob.
You posted recently about how you’re trying to figure out the artist you want to be - have you come any closer to figuring that out?
Honestly yes. Controversial but sometimes I’m not painting to tell an elaborate story, rather I’m painting to fulfil and outpour my soul. For a long time I let society pressure me into making sure I always had a story to tell and something to prove. I’ve figured out that art is my form of self-soothing and it’s okay to create just for the hell of it. There’s so much emphasis on creating with intention and sometimes my intention is to externalise what’s going on upstairs and create sense out of information that makes no sense to me at the time. In saying that, I want to be an artist that shares a deeper message regarding humanity. My objective is to bring people together through my work, share stories or thought processes with those who are willing to listen and hear the way that they interpret it, spark conversation and make people feel.
What colours do you tend to gravitate towards?
Warm tones! My favourites are probably wine, crimson, burnt orange, ochre yellow, baby pink. I’ve been loving adding pops of teal and bright yellow at the moment too.
How do you feel Indigenous art is being represented in Australia at the moment?
I think as First Nations artists we personally represent ourselves well. When I tell people I am an Aboriginal artist I’m generally met with heaps of support and love. I think at the end of the day we are all artists. It doesn’t matter the style or genre of art you do, Indigenous or not we should all be given the same opportunities and exposure as one another.
What are you proudest of within your art and within your culture?
With my art, definitely the fact that I do it my way and I do it differently than anyone else. I really pride myself and my work in being original and the fact that there is no one who does it like me because it is so uniquely Ramani and I wouldn’t have it any other way! With my culture, something I have never spoken about to anyone outside my close circle is that I was actually estranged from my culture as a kid, which is something I won’t go too far into but I am still so incredibly proud of my heritage and myself for having the courage to go searching for it. There is so much shame in not knowing enough which is something I experienced a lot of as a kid/ teenager but at the same time it has been the most incredible journey of self-discovery and something I will carry with me for the rest of my life. I’m really proud of that.
What’s on the dreamboard for where your art might take you?
My dreamboard, at its core, is about freedom. My creative freedom is deeply connected to my life and my desire to be free to do what makes my heart happy. I eventually see myself on a farm property near the coast so I can still surf, with my family and with my own art studio on my property but for now I have dreams to chase first.
I’m very much a flow-state person, and I want to go wherever my art takes me. Collaborating with high-fashion brands is something I’d love to do one day. I’m currently working on my first collaboration with a big Australian brand, and I would love to continue down this path in the future, as well as designing and producing wearable pieces of my own.
The next step for me would be getting out of my bedroom and into a studio that can help me chase these dreams. I'm also working on launching my first collection of prints on my website right now so that's really exciting!
