2012
January, 2012
Aboriginal Art .. On a Cake!
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 04.01.12
Novy Rich has been creating gorgeous Aboriginal art on cakes for over 20 years. Many of the designs are inspired by her husband, Mundara Koorang, renowned international Aboriginal artist, author, actor and Elder, and daughter Nganuwaay Koolyn's artwork. From simplistic...» Read More
BLACK CAPITAL?
Posted by Jeremy Eccles | 12.01.12
It's Lindy Hume's third and last Sydney Festival, and, finally she's got up a major indigenous contribution. There was a time after Rhoda Roberts' 1997 Dreaming Festival for the Olympics, backed up by the pair of Adelaide Festivals from Peter...» Read More
ACMI presents Indigenous arts festival
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 12.01.12
The National Indigenous Photomedia Forum, Shadow Life: Moving Image and Remembered By are three separate events presented by ACMI as part of the Melbourne Indigenous Arts Festival 2012. The National Indigenous Photomedia Forum will address the the obstacles faced by...» Read More
Indigenous youth arts project to explore identity
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 15.01.12
Young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in the Sunshine Coast and Gympie regions are being urged to come together to embrace and showcase their culture via song writing and recording, hip-hop dancing and art workshops based on the theme of...» Read More
Lavertys in The Netherlands
Posted by Jeremy Eccles | 20.01.12
The Lavertys - Colin and Liz - are legends in their own lifetimes. For they've not only built the largest Aboriginal art collection in this country – others overseas, such as the late John Kluge's, now at the University of...» Read More
2011 Indigenous Ceramic Awards
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 23.01.12
The winners of the country’s most recognised awards for Indigenous artists have been released. Janet Fieldhouse took out the $20000 first prize for her work Tattoo, a sculptural installation that uses a light box and transparent porcelain to explore ritual...» Read More
Indigenous Visual Arts Residency Available
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 23.01.12
An Indigenous Visual Arts Resident role is being offered through the Indigenous Visual Arts Residency program through Arts Victoria in partnership with the Office of the Arts to an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander artist or arts-worker living in Victoria....» Read More
Artprice Predicts Stronger Australian Art Market
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 26.01.12
Aboriginal art occupies a special place in Australia and 3 of the 6 artists in the Top 10 auction results are Aborigines. One of the three Aboriginal artists in Australian contemporary art ranking, Dorothy NAPANGARDI , has enjoyed strong demand...» Read More
Shortlist announced for 2012 Victorian Indigenous Art Awards
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 29.01.12
Twenty artists are in the running for prizes totalling more than $50,000 as part of the Victorian Government's 2012 Victorian Indigenous Art Awards. The awards, now in their seventh year, profile the diversity of Indigenous arts practice in Victoria and...» Read More
FOLEY
Posted by Jeremy Eccles | 30.01.12
The 40th anniversary last week of the accidental Aboriginal Embassy on the lawns of Old Parliament House in Canberra was as good an opportunity as any to learn how it came about even before the messy events that accompanied it....» Read More
Victorian Indigenous Art Awards Finalists
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 31.01.12
This year’s exhibition has a total of 27 artworks by 20 artists all in the running for over $50,000 in prizes. The finalists are: Paola Balla - (two works) Katen Boy Sacred Ibis Trevor Turbo Brown - (two works) Owl...» Read More
February, 2012
Suspected stolen Red Centre rock art on eBay
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 01.02.12
A case of suspected stolen Central Australian rock art is being investigated by authorities in South Australia. The Aboriginal art was recently advertised online, then withdrawn once the Department of Premier and Cabinet advised eBay it may be stolen. It...» Read More
New threat to world’s largest rock art collection
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 01.02.12
ROCK ART ON WESTERN AUSTRALIA'S Burrup Peninsula is facing more industrial threats, despite new scientific findings that the ancient Pilbara site is "a masterpiece of human creative genius" worthy of World Heritage status. Around one million rock engravings, or petroglyphs,...» Read More
Your Collection 1800 to today
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 01.02.12
In an exciting new presentation, Your Collection has been displayed chronologically and traces art made in the early nineteenth century, locally and around the world, to the art of today. Your Collection 1800 – today brings together an extraordinary group...» Read More
Aboriginal Art in Africa
Posted by Jeremy Eccles | 09.02.12
The first ever tour of a curated Australian art exhibition through Africa has just opened in Cape Town – and after Africa, it will progress to India. Message Stick – as the show is called – features a selection of...» Read More
Art centres and communities (transcript)
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 13.02.12
Transcript of a radio interview 13 - 19 February 2012 (Newslines Radio) PRESENTER: Hi, I’m Nathan Ramsay and you’re listening to Newslines Radio, a weekly program produced by the Australian Government on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander issues. Today we’re...» Read More
Art helps at-risk youths
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 13.02.12
A GROUP of Toowoomba youths has discovered how to reconnect with their ancestors through the power of traditional Aboriginal art. Renowned Aboriginal artist Peter "Muraay Djeripi" Mulcahy has been running workshops with at-risk students from the Youth Community Learning Centre...» Read More
Local art goes country wide
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 14.02.12
INDIGENOUS artists from the North Coast have the chance to showcase their work to audiences Australia-wide by entering the 29th Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award. Principal sponsors Telstra and the Northern Territory Government's Museum and Art...» Read More
KOONGARRA
Posted by Jeremy Eccles | 16.02.12
In June 2011, Jeffrey Lee travelled from remote Arnhemland to Paris to meet with UNESCO officials. As the last surviving member of the Djok Clan, he was attempting to get his precious country at Koongarra added to the World Heritage...» Read More
29th Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Awards
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 16.02.12
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists can be in the chance to win $40,000 cash by simply submitting their artwork. The Telstra Art Award, Australia's longest running art award dedicated to the work of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists,...» Read More
'Confined' Aboriginal art exhibition showing at the St Kilda Town Hall
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 16.02.12
CONFINED is a confronting exhibition featuring work from indigenous Australians who have spent time in jail. The exhibitors include Dennis Thorpe, who said he was wanted to use his own life story in the lines of his painting, which were...» Read More
Historic images rescued from cupboard
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 21.02.12
A previously unknown collection of rare colonial drawings from 1818, including landscapes and Aboriginal portraits from the Newcastle area, has been unveiled after being discovered in the back of a cupboard in Canada. It's called the Wallis Album. This extraordinary...» Read More
March, 2012
Yalangabara and the Marikas
Posted by Jeremy Eccles | 01.03.12
Just as Mankind emerged from the sea in evolutionary history, Aboriginal life in Arhemland advanced mythologically out of the Gulf of Carpentaria at Yalangabara to become the many clans of the Dhuwa moiety. But, while the rest of us took...» Read More
Studio Opps for Aboriginal & TS Islanders in Sydney
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 07.03.12
Applications are now open for Marrickville Council’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) Arts Studio Program. The Program provides support to Aboriginal artists and crafts people living or contributing to Marrickville’s art and cultural life. Council offers a studio space...» Read More
Honour for Bendigo amateur artists
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 11.03.12
A BENDIGO artist has taken out a Victorian award for a confronting black and white photograph of his nephew. Simon Penrose, 25, last night won a Victorian Indigenous Art Award for his work on paper. It was the first time...» Read More
Winners of 2012 Victorian Indigenous Art Awards announced
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 11.03.12
Melbourne artist Trevor 'Turbo' Brown has received the Deadly Art Award, Victoria's highest honour for an Indigenous artist, at the 2012 Victorian Indigenous Art Awards. Turbo received the $25,000 award for his painting Owl Dreaming, a portrait of a 'spirit...» Read More
Ernabella Craft Pioneer Dies
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 11.03.12
In her 1968 book, The People in Between, about her life at Ernabella Mission station, Winifred Hilliard wrote, ''To the north there are bad people, and to the south there are bad people, but in between are the Pitjantjatjara people''....» Read More
ABORIGINAL ART DRESS SPAT
Posted by Jeremy Eccles | 16.03.12
"The Mulleavy sisters stand out from the New York Fashion Week crowd with an imaginative Fall line full of Outback influences", pronounced The Daily Beast blog on February 14 this year. "The two sisters behind the Rodarte label are rare...» Read More
Women with Clever Hands
Posted by Jeremy Eccles | 16.03.12
The two year tour of fibre work from the small, almost unknown Arnhemland community of Gapuwiyak is continuing with its opening in Sydney, at the Object Gallery later this month. Originating from Wagga Wagga Art Gallery under the aegis of...» Read More
Fairer arts trading
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 26.03.12
Transcript of a Newslines Radio Broadcast Broadcast date: 26 March–1 April 2012 Duration: 12 minutes Presenter: Nathan Ramsay Content: New initiatives are making Indigenous artists more aware of their rights. Talent: John Oster, Indigenous Arts Code Limited Patricia Adjei, Indigenous...» Read More
Northcote artist's winning dream
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 26.03.12
A PRIZE-winning work in Victoria’s Indigenous Art Awards was literally a dream come true for its creator Glenda Nicholls. Two weeks ago, Nicholls, a Northcote resident, won the $5000 Koorie Heritage Trust Acquisition Award and the $5000 Victorian Indigenous Art...» Read More
$6 for a Namatjira? Almost...
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 26.03.12
There's no accounting for taste when a masterpiece is ignored in a garage sale. It was the spring-clean that almost cost a Cairns woman a masterpiece. She had put a few household items in a garage sale, including a painting...» Read More
Finding harmony through film
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 27.03.12
Students from Robinvale P-12 have been given the chance to explore cultural identity in one of the most ethinically diverse communities in Victoria, and all through the process of making a film. The group is made up of 9 students...» Read More
Storehouse of cultural memory
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 27.03.12
A WORKING studio, a soaring palace, a temple where the past's shadows cluster and hang thickly in the air: such is the new Jilamara Arts & Crafts Association art centre complex at Milikapiti on the remote north coast of the...» Read More
April, 2012
Aboriginal Art is Modern
Posted by Jeremy Eccles | 02.04.12
The grand re-opening of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney has confirmed for many the view that the Aboriginal art of today is as contemporary as such trendy names as Hany Armanious, Ah Xian, Rivane Neuenschwander and Christian Marclay...» Read More
Australia's ancient Aboriginal rock art to be catalogued
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 07.04.12
Australia's greatest ancient Aboriginal rock art detailing kangaroos, turtles and humans on boulders in the remote Pilbara area will be studied under a US$1.1 million deal announced Monday. Tens of thousands of the indigenous works, which are scattered over the...» Read More
Desert’s spirit on show in Newcastle
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 07.04.12
THEY were thousands of kilometres from the desert, but that didn’t stop a group of local Aboriginal students tapping into its rich spirit at a watercolour workshop at Newcastle Art Gallery. The workshop was held as part of the Desert...» Read More
Art show link for young and old
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 07.04.12
A GENERATION-spanning exhibition of indigenous artwork from around the Lower Clarence will go on show from today in Maclean's CWA building. The Yaegl Country Aboriginal Art Exhibition - now in its second year - will bring together pieces of art,...» Read More
US art collector sees red over 'dysfunctional' ban on Aboriginal painting
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 07.04.12
A WEALTHY American art connoisseur has decided against donating his collection of 90 blue-chip Aboriginal artworks worth $10 million to an Australian museum or gallery after his attempt to add a painting to the collection was thwarted by national cultural...» Read More
Nyree Reynolds Exhibits at the Sydney Opera House
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 09.04.12
IMAGINE being invited to have your artwork displayed at an exhibition at the Sydney Opera House. For accomplished Blayney artist Nyree Reynolds there's nothing imaginary about it - she has just exhibited five of her paintings at the national icon....» Read More
National Gallery joins Google Art Project
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 09.04.12
The National Gallery may still be basking in the success of its grand new entrance and Aboriginal art wing, but now it's possible to explore parts of the collection without leaving the house. The gallery has become one of the...» Read More
5-star Hotel in Adelaide to be named after Tommy Watson
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 09.04.12
The Melbourne-based Art Series Hotel group has announced that its first hotel in Adelaide will be named after Tommy Watson, one of Australia's most distinguished Aboriginal artists. The Adelaide hotel that's due to open next September will be the fourth...» Read More
Call for entries in Taiwanese Art Award
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 09.04.12
The Taitung County Government in Taiwan is offering artists from all over the world an opportuntiy to take part in the Austronesian International Arts Award 2012. According to their site, the word “Austronesian” comes from the anthropological term “Austronesian language...» Read More
Applications Sought for CEO of Linked-Up Qld
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 13.04.12
Enhance the lives of Indigenous people & members of the stolen generation Further develop best practice service delivery models Brisbane based, state-wide responsibilities Link-Up Queensland delivers confidential and culturally sensitive research, reunion and counselling services to adult Aboriginal and Torres...» Read More
NATSIAAS IN CRISIS
Posted by Jeremy Eccles | 19.04.12
As the entries for the 2012 29th National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards come under the scrutiny of the Awards' pre-selectors, so the key staff who are responsible for the Awards are departing. Specifically, Natalie Merida, the experienced...» Read More
CALL FOR ART EXPORT LAW REFORM
Posted by Jeremy Eccles | 22.04.12
The ABC Radio National's Books and Arts program raised some curly issues on Friday regarding the export of Aboriginal art by international collectors. Taking part was the feisty John Wilkerson, a belated entry into the American pantheon of collectors -...» Read More
TOMMY WATSON'S RED HOTEL
Posted by Jeremy Eccles | 24.04.12
Red is the hottest colour in the visual arts at the moment. The British play 'Red' about Mark Rothko's extraordinary series of red paintings for a hotel in New York is getting productions in Melbourne (now) and Sydney (in September)....» Read More
THE CONVICT PORTRAYED BY AN ABORIGINE
Posted by Jeremy Eccles | 27.04.12
At a generally unhappy auction of Aboriginal art on 4th April at the house of Deutscher + Hackett, the National Museum of Australia swooped on two 19th Century drawings by the Kwatkwat artist, Tommy McRae. For $79,300 – a record...» Read More
May, 2012
Australian film The Sapphires screening at Cannes
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 01.05.12
THE Australian film based on the true story of an indigenous girl band singing Motown classics, The Sapphires, has been selected as part of the official selection at the upcoming 2012 Cannes Film Festival. It is the only Australian feature...» Read More
ART FAIRS ARE GO
Posted by Jeremy Eccles | 02.05.12
Both of the country's major Indigenous art fairs have announced their plans for 2012 – and give every impression of being stronger than ever. While the Cairns Fair (CIAF – 16 to 19 August) has always had the potent backing...» Read More
GUNYBI “SPEAKS TO ALL TIMES AND ALL PLACES”
Posted by Jeremy Eccles | 09.05.12
It is time to celebrate the Yolngu artist, Gunybi Ganambarr. His selection amongst the ten remote artists who are defined as “the cream, of the crop at this moment in history” in the Second National Indigenous Art Triennial at the...» Read More
Aboriginal Art Auction Signals a Shift Towards Minimalism and Tradition
Posted by Nicholas Forrest | 10.05.12
The market for Aboriginal art has had a tough time of late as the cautious buying activities of collectors and investors allude to a market in a state of suspended animation that is struggling to establish a new identity in...» Read More
GULUMBU YUNUPINGU 1945 - 2012
Posted by Jeremy Eccles | 14.05.12
They keep trying to say that the 40 year old Aboriginal art movement is doomed by the inevitable death if its elders. But just a decade ago, no one had heard of the Yolngu artist, Gulumbu Yunupingu. The then-56 year...» Read More
Lives hidden in the life's work
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 21.05.12
THE looped chains of brilliant colour, the radiating line-work, the grids and vortex patterns -- they speak of a personality, and a strong one. At last, six years after her death, the dazzling Warlpiri artist Lorna Fencer Napurrurla is the...» Read More
Bonhams Australia May 28 Aboriginal Art Auction Features Amazing Array of Paintings and Artefacts
Posted by Nicholas Forrest | 23.05.12
Bonhams Australia have thrown down the gauntlet to other auction houses with an ambitious two catalogue sale of Aboriginal art taking place in Sydney on the 28th of May. A total of 195 lots will be offered in two parts...» Read More
SECOND INDIGENOUS TRIENNIAL
Posted by Jeremy Eccles | 23.05.12
Why did the word 'colourless' spring to my mind when trying to sum up the National Gallery's second National Indigenous Art Triennial? I think the answer intrinsically springs from the diminished role played by vibrant Desert art. Yes – there's...» Read More
Cutting-edge Aboriginal Art at Bonhams Australia May 29 Contemporary Art Sale
Posted by Nicholas Forrest | 25.05.12
On the 29th of May, Bonhams Australia will auction a fantastic catalogue of art from the Fehily Collection of Contemporary Art including a number of significant contemporary Aboriginal works by the likes of Julie Dowling, Gordon Bennett and Brook Andrew....» Read More
Aboriginal Art Highlights From Bonhams Australia May Sales
Posted by Nicholas Forrest | 30.05.12
Bonhams May series of auctions held in Sydney produced some fantastic results for Aboriginal art. Although buyers were highly selective passing on many wonderful lots, there was plenty of competition for the most highly desirable and significant works. The highest...» Read More
'A WONDEROUS CONTEMPORARY ART MOVEMENT'
Posted by Jeremy Eccles | 31.05.12
Across the Pacific in Seattle collectors Bob Kaplan and Margaret Levi have developed a relationship with their local Seattle Art Museum (SAM) so that a 100+ artwork show opens today and runs into September. And even though there's only optimism...» Read More
June, 2012
Early Papunya Boards Head Sothebys Australia Aboriginal Art Sale
Posted by Nicholas Forrest | 04.06.12
Sotheby’s Australia will hold their first major Aboriginal art sale for the year on Tuesday 5th June 2012 in Melbourne. The sale will consist of 105 lots with an estimate of $1.4-2 million and includes rare artefacts through to early...» Read More
Spectacular Aboriginal Art from the Kluge Collection to be Sold by Mossgreen
Posted by Nicholas Forrest | 04.06.12
Mossgreen will sell an amazing array of Aboriginal paintings from the highly prestigious collection of the late John W. Kluge at their Melbourne saleroom on Wednesday the 6th of June. The sale, which is undoubtedly one of the most significant...» Read More
Exhibition cancelled after Tiwi protest
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 08.06.12
STILL reeling from having his first Australian exhibition in 12 years cancelled at the last minute, Melbourne-based artist Cameron Hayes claims he is the victim of censorship by white gatekeepers of Aboriginal art. On Wednesday, Hayes had been due to...» Read More
Aboriginal art regains confidence of market
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 09.06.12
A CASUAL observer of the Aboriginal art market would have been surprised this week to see two successful auctions in Melbourne. After three years of dire prognostications of imminent extinction, Mossgreen's sale of Aboriginal art from the collection of John...» Read More
Mabo adheres to the first principles of biography
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 10.06.12
THE good biographer assumes nothing, trusts no one, checks every detail but never lets a good story escape. The best are always alert for what literary critic Peter Steele once called "riddle, quizzicality and quirk". Biography, like historical romance, must...» Read More
Mossgreen's Sell-Out Aboriginal Art Auction
Posted by Nicholas Forrest | 11.06.12
Mossgreen Auctions produced one of the best Aboriginal art auction results in recent times with their auction of Indigenous art from the collection of John W. Kluge which achieved an amazing 100% clearance rate and a sale total of $787,485.60...» Read More
Aboriginal Artist Auction Records at Stellar Sotheby’s Sale
Posted by Nicholas Forrest | 11.06.12
The Sotheby’s Australia June 5 Important Aboriginal Art sale held in Melbourne was further evidence that the Aboriginal art market will react with enthusiasm when they are offered top quality, rare works that have excellent provenance. A tightly curated, selective...» Read More
BLACKFELLA FILMS
Posted by Jeremy Eccles | 15.06.12
A welcome change at the Sydney Film Festival was a special program of Indigenous films – Australian and international. This appears to be a move out of the Opera House by Rachel Perkins's Blackfella Films, where their Message Sticks film...» Read More
Finding puts Aborigines among art's avant garde
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 19.06.12
ARCHAEOLOGISTS at a remote site in southwest Arnhem Land have made a discovery establishing early Australian Aborigines as among the most advanced people in human evolution. A team led by Bruno David from Monash University has found and firmly dated...» Read More
ART MARKET CHEER
Posted by Jeremy Eccles | 20.06.12
As has been reported elsewhere on Aboriginal Art News, the May/June spate of auctions for Aboriginal art hit a highpoint as Mossgreen to watch auctioneer Paul Sumner sell every one of the 66 desert paintings from the estate of American...» Read More
British Daily Mail find Sex Angle in Rock Paintings
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 20.06.12
Here's an unsual take on the recent discovery of ancient rock art, reproduced here in full. Aboriginal erotic rock art proves that – even 28,000 years ago – men had ONE thing on their minds Explicit scenes depicted in Australia's...» Read More
GORDON BENNETT SOLO IN UTRECHT
Posted by Jeremy Eccles | 22.06.12
In Outsider / Insider: The art of Gordon Bennett, the AAMU Museum of Contemporary Aboriginal Art will present a selection from the wide-ranging oeuvre of Gordon Bennett, who is regarded as one of Australia's most significant contemporary artists. Gordon Bennett...» Read More
Tribal Trend Sparks International Hunt for Aboriginal Artefacts
Posted by Nicholas Forrest | 25.06.12
Collectors and investors have been scouring auctions all over the world in the hunt for Aboriginal artefacts as a global tribal artefacts trend continues to emerge. Bonhams Australia sold a number of important Aboriginal artefacts during their 28th May Aboriginal...» Read More
Art prize of $40k open to Aboriginal artists from NSW
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 25.06.12
THE 2012 PARLIAMENT OF NEW SOUTH WALES ABORIGINAL ART PRIZE IS NOW OPEN FOR ENTRIES Aboriginal artists born in or living as residents of New South Wales are invited to enter the 2012 Parliament of New South Wales Aboriginal Art...» Read More
CAT AMONGST THE PIGEONS
Posted by Jeremy Eccles | 28.06.12
This weekend in Sydney, two free discussions about Aboriginal art are likely to set the proverbial cat amongst the pigeons. Both are at the Opera House on Saturday and involve leading Blak players in the art game. Session One, particularly,...» Read More
July, 2012
CAT AMONGST THE PIGEONS (2
Posted by Jeremy Eccles | 04.07.12
Sadly, the cat never escaped! Last Saturday's promising discussions at the Sydney Opera House - Aboriginal Art: it’s a white thing and Write the truth, or shut up – turned out to be damp squibs in terms of achieving any...» Read More
Solid Prices for Aboriginal Art at Menzies Art Brands June 20 Sale
Posted by Nicholas Forrest | 06.07.12
The Menzies Art Brands Melbourne 20th June Important Australian and International Fine Paintings and Sculpture sale included a number of important works of Aboriginal art. Prices for the Indigenous paintings on offer were solid although not any higher than they...» Read More
Prof Larissa Behrendt releases Dummies Book
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 10.07.12
YOU probably knew that indigenous art was ''more than rocks and dots'', as academic Larissa Behrendt explains in her new book, Indigenous Australia for Dummies. But were you aware that the largest indigenous populations in Australia are urban? That indigenous...» Read More
Waiting at the Gate - abandonment to Aboriginal Artist of the Year Nomination
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 18.07.12
At the age of five, after years of abuse, and just months after the death of her father, Robyn was sent on a ‘holiday’ and was never returned to her family. She waited at the gate for her mother to...» Read More
Adam Hill's Very Public Art
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 18.07.12
COMMUTERS visiting Campbelltown railway station will have their day brightened thanks to a public art project by Aboriginal artist Adam Hill. Sydney-based Hill was commissioned to design 80 panels around the station including at the taxi rank and the bus...» Read More
AGNSW 'S TENTATIVE REHANG
Posted by Jeremy Eccles | 20.07.12
Almost three years ago, I reported here about the strange and wonderful arrival of the Art Gallery of NSW's iconic Pukumani Poles in its so-called Colonial Courts – perfectly placed in chronological terms, but utterly challenging beside the best efforts...» Read More
Indigenous artist wins Waterhouse art prize
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 20.07.12
Margaret Loy Pula has won this year's Waterhouse Natural History Art Prize, an award that commemorates the life and work of Frederick George Waterhouse, the first curator of the emerging South Australian Museum when it opened in January 1862, with...» Read More
UWA Professor Sets Sights on Pilbara Rock Art
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 22.07.12
ARCHEOLOGIST Professor Jo McDonald is the inaugural Rio Tinto chair of Rock Art Studies at the University of Western Australia. She says her main focus will be the study of Pilbara rock art, and directing the Centre for Rock Art...» Read More
Aboriginal Art Finds Favour at Paris Auction
Posted by Nicholas Forrest | 23.07.12
On the 3rd of July French auction house Artcurial auctioned 45 works of Australian Aboriginal art during their Art abstrait et contemporain - Art aborigène Australien (Abstract and Contemporary Art - Australian Aboriginal Art) sale. The long association with the...» Read More
NEW ART CENTRE FOR KATHERINE
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 25.07.12
The Katherine community in the NT now has access to an $8.6 million arts hub after the official opening of the Godinymayin Yijard Rivers Arts and Culture Centre last week. NT Arts and Museums Minister, Gerry McCarthy joined with Federal...» Read More
Kangaroo Point new home to Indigenous performing artists
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 26.07.12
Arts Minister Ros Bates has joined students from the Aboriginal Centre for the Performing Arts (ACPA) for a brief tour of their new home at Brisbane’s Kangaroo Point. Ms Bates watched students in action in theatre rehearsals and music, ballet...» Read More
WA shares in $48 million funds for Indigenous arts
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 29.07.12
Country Arts WA is one of the largest recipients to share in the $48 million allocated nationally for two ongoing projects supporting Indigenous arts, culture and languages. It will receive an additional $250,000 for the Aboriginal Art Centre Hub of...» Read More
Artist Opportunities in Sydney
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 31.07.12
Marrickville Council has numerous opportunities for local artists. Applications are invited now for a range of programs for residents and practicing artists that encourage participation of arts and cultural activities at all stages of life. “The local community has told...» Read More
The adventure story of two young brothers encountering a native bee
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 31.07.12
Written by Nola Turner-Jensen and Illustrated by Dub Leffler, The Sugarbag is an adventure story of Jimmy and Max, two young brothers, who are on their way to visit their grandfather. Walking through the bush, they encounter an Australian native...» Read More
August, 2012
Gallery installation completed for 2012 Telstra Art Award
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 01.08.12
There has been a hive of activity at the Museum and Art Gallery of the NT (MAGNT), in preparation for the 29th Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award, with installation of the 63 pre-selected art works now...» Read More
Opening Night Celebrations for NATSIAAs
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 08.08.12
Award winning artist Warren H Williams will perform at the Museum and Art Gallery of the NT (MAGNT) this Friday, as part of the 29th Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Awards opening night celebrations. The winner of...» Read More
The 29th NATSIAAs
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 10.08.12
“It's a really interesting year, I think – characterised by strong women. Where have artists like Cornelia Tipuamantumeri, Barbara Moore and Rhonda Sharpe suddenly come from? Pow!!” Very new Curator of Indigenous Art at the Museum & Art Gallery of...» Read More
Aboriginal Art at the 2012 Melbourne Art Fair
Posted by Nicholas Forrest | 12.08.12
The number of galleries exhibiting works of Aboriginal Art at the 2012 Melbourne art fair was disappointing. Those that did, however, experienced strong interest and good sales of work by a wide range of contemporary and more traditional artists. Melbourne...» Read More
BUNGAREE REVIVED
Posted by Jeremy Eccles | 15.08.12
“White Australia has a black history – white middle class Mosman has a black history. Aboriginal people are everywhere and Aboriginal people do everything. I came to work on this project to emphasise the Aboriginal history of the southeast and...» Read More
ciaf 2012
Posted by Jeremy Eccles | 16.08.12
Get up close and personal with the art, dance, stories and traditions of the oldest continuous culture on Earth at Cairns Indigenous Art Fair 2012. The world’s premiere showcase of Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art and culture kicks...» Read More
Ode to Billy Thomas
Posted by Jeremy Eccles | 20.08.12
Karnta Karnta - Billy Thomas. Circa 1920ʼs - July 2012 It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Karnta Karnta - Billy Thomas. Billy passed away peacefully on the morning of 17th July 2012 at the age...» Read More
Bubbay: A Christmas Adventure
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 22.08.12
October 2012 book release, children's picture book Bubbay lives in the outback spending his days protecting a herd of goats from dingoes. He sleeps in his swag under the stars and the only person he visits is Mrs Timms for...» Read More
Aboriginal Art from the Holmes a Court Collection Auctioned in Sydney
Posted by Nicholas Forrest | 24.08.12
The August 19 Mossgreen Auctions sale of works from the collection of Peter Holmes a Court, joint owner with Russell Crowe of the National Rugby League team the South Sydney Rabbitohs, and his wife Divonne Holmes a Court, included a...» Read More
Digby Moran selected as finalist for Parliament of NSW Aboriginal Art Prize
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 27.08.12
Bundjalung artist Digby Moran has been selected as a finalist in the Parliament of NSW Aboriginal Art Prize for not one, but two artworks. Both Starlight and Someone’s Always Watching You, painted by Digby this year, have been selected. The...» Read More
Sonia Kurarra wins Most Outstanding Work at 2012 Hedland Art Awards
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 29.08.12
Sonia Kurarra has been announced the recipient for the Most Outstanding Work at this year's Hedland Art Awards for her work, Martuwarra. This award is a wonderful personal achievement for Sonia. Sonia's artwork and profile have continued to grow exponentially...» Read More
September, 2012
Namatjira and Mellor Shine at Deutscher and Hackett August 29 Auction
Posted by Nicholas Forrest | 03.09.12
There were very few works by Aboriginal artists in Deutscher and Hackett’s August 29 Important Australian + International Art Auction held in Melbourne. The few indigenous works that were included in the sale did, however, perform very well. Works by...» Read More
Australia's First Indigenous Fashion Week Launches
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 03.09.12
This week in Sydney, Australia’s first indigenous fashion week opened its door for business. Called Australian Indigenous Fashion Week (AIFW), the organization will be a platform for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander designers to showcase high quality traditional and contemporary...» Read More
CAN YOU SELL ABORIGINAL ART TOO CHEAPLY?
Posted by Jeremy Eccles | 06.09.12
Note: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and not necessarily those of the Aboriginal Art Directory. It can sometimes be a thankless business trying to sell Aboriginal art. The sheer distance between remote art centres...» Read More
Artist Opportunity in Victoria
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 11.09.12
Kidsafe Victoria is seeking a Victorian Aboriginal artist to adapt a set of child injury prevention resources for the Victorian Aboriginal community. Introduction Kidsafe, the Child Accident Prevention Foundation of Australia is an independent, non-profit, organisation dedicated to the prevention...» Read More
$244,000 for an Emily Kngwarreye Painting at Auction in Brisbane
Posted by Nicholas Forrest | 11.09.12
Selling the art collection of former lawyer Ross Clarke and his wife Rona in Brisbane was a gamble for Mossgreen auctions – a gamble that payed dividends. September the 9th was d-day for Mossgreen and the collection of 188 works...» Read More
FUTURE IS PERFECT FOR CHRISTIAN THOMPSON IN SINGAPORE
Posted by Jeremy Eccles | 13.09.12
A former British colonial army barracks which was one of the last places to hold out against the Japanese during the Fall of Singapore in 1942 has been converted by the Singapore government into an art centre, which opens this...» Read More
Aboriginal Art Triumphs at Brisbane Sale of Ross and Rona Clarke Collection
Posted by Nicholas Forrest | 13.09.12
Contrary to what some have said about the Mossgreen sale of the Ross and Rona Clarke collection held in Brisbane, the sale was actually quite a triumph both for Mossgreen and the market for Aboriginal art. A sold by lot...» Read More
Spectacular Lineage Display
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 13.09.12
ONLY rarely do the admirers of an art movement have the chance to see the key episodes in its evolution captured, its transitions made evident: the viewing eye can hardly ever trace the mystery of artistic transmission. But this year's...» Read More
Crossing Cultures in the US
Posted by Jeremy Eccles | 21.09.12
America is having a far better year than Australia in terms of its experience and appreciation of our Indigenous art. First there was the Kaplan/Levi Collection on show in the Seattle Art Museum; now, across the country in New Hampshire,...» Read More
Major Sydney building facade transformed by Aboriginal art
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 22.09.12
An Aboriginal artist whose work has been exhibited in Paris, Santa Fe and Shanghai has given one of Sydney’s most prominent buildings a dramatic makeover. ‘Always was, always will be’, by Reko Rennie, covers the full façade of the T2...» Read More
Lin Onus Painting Fetches $171,818 at Menzies Art Brands Auction
Posted by Nicholas Forrest | 24.09.12
There were only a few works of Indigenous art in the catalogue of Deutscher Menzies 13th September 2012 Important Australian and International Fine Paintings and Sculpture auction, which was rather disappointing. The highlight of the Indigenous works on offer was...» Read More
THE CODE TO BE TOUGHENED
Posted by Jeremy Eccles | 26.09.12
The two year experiment in a voluntary application of the Indigenous Art Code of Conduct is coming to a sticky end. The Board of Indigenous Art Code Ltd (IArtC) will formally recommend to the Government that it put in place...» Read More
DAWN OF ART IN THE KIMBERLEY
Posted by Jeremy Eccles | 28.09.12
There are obsessives – and then there's Mike Donaldson. The 67 year old geologist has already produced a mighty book of images from the Burrup Peninsular area, alerting the world to its remote beauty and the threat from industrial developments...» Read More
October, 2012
SPRING IS 28% INDIGENOUS
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 05.10.12
Jeremy Eccles The Museum of Contemporary Art looks for the young and hopeful in art every Spring – thanks to the Jackson Family sponsorship in memory of their daughter Belinda, who died too young at 29. Curators of Primavera have...» Read More
TJUKURRTJANU GOES TO PARIS
Posted by Jeremy Eccles | 08.10.12
The big NGV exhibition Tjukurrtjanu – Origins of Western Desert Art ( 'Aux Sources de la Peinture Aborigene') opens in the Musee du quai Branly today. It's the first Australian art show at the museum – which opened with such...» Read More
Aboriginal Art Auctioned in Melbourne and Paris
Posted by Nicholas Forrest | 08.10.12
The Aboriginal art auction scene has been relatively quiet over the last few weeks save for a couple of auctions one of which took place in Paris, the other in Melbourne. French auction house Artprecium held an auction of Aboriginal...» Read More
Nominations Open WA Indigenous Art Awards 2013
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 11.10.12
The Western Australian Indigenous Art Awards is a national award founded in 2008 to celebrate the breadth, diversity and excellence in art from all corners of Indigenous Australia. The awards acknowledge the significant and ongoing contribution Aboriginal and Torres Strait...» Read More
Sotheby's 15th October Important Aboriginal Art Auction in Sydney
Posted by Nicholas Forrest | 15.10.12
Tonight in Sydney, Sotheby’s Australia will attempt to sell a collection of Important Aboriginal and Oceanic Art valued at between $1.3-1.9 million and featuring works by artists such as Kitty Kantilla, Ginger Riley Mundwalawala, Anatjari Tjakamarra and Johnny Warangkula Tjupurrula....» Read More
People On Country
Posted by Jeremy Eccles | 16.10.12
Do you remember the ending to that great Indigenous film, Samson & Delilah? The damaged couple set up home in the middle of nowhere – a remote outstation where they could live off the country and recover their moral and...» Read More
Djirirra Wunungmurra Wins People’s Choice Award
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 17.10.12
Arnhem Land artist Djirirra Wunungmurra has been voted the People’s Choice Award winner as part of this year’s 29th Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award. The 44-year-old artist received 118 votes of the 1544 votes cast for...» Read More
Mystery Bidder Bids Big on Aboriginal Artefacts at Sotheby's Australia Sale
Posted by Nicholas Forrest | 18.10.12
Mysterious bidder 109 was somewhat of a saviour for Sotheby’s Australia during their 15th October Important Aboriginal & Oceanic Art sale in Sydney. Obviously prepared to spend whatever it took to acquire the objects of his desire, Mr. 109 took...» Read More
Film Noir and Pulp Fiction Bad Girls and.. Larissa Behrendt?
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 20.10.12
Opening today at the Justice and Police Museum in Sydney is Wicked Women, described as a playful, subversive and wickedly sexy exhibition of new works by prize-winning artist Rosemary Valadon. Inspired by the 'bad-girl' persona from the vibrant early to...» Read More
France continues its Love of Aboriginal Art in Brisbane
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 26.10.12
The strong, historical links between France and Aboriginal art offer a rich and fertile background – from the research and writing works of French ethnologists and anthropologists to the development of important public Aboriginal art collections in France and the...» Read More
Afternoon Tea with Ms Koori Love
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 31.10.12
Marrickville Council’s Resident Artist in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studio at Addison Road Centre (ARC) is Ms Koori Love. Ms Koori Love is the cheeky Koori Mail columnist who writes about love, relationships and Aboriginal communities for the...» Read More
November, 2012
A Buyers Market for Aboriginal Art at Mossgreen Sale of John Wregg and Judith Alexander Collection
Posted by Nicholas Forrest | 01.11.12
The current climate of the market for Aboriginal art definitely favours the buyer – but that’s not necessarily a bad thing when one considers that all those bargain buys will re-enter the market at some stage in the future when...» Read More
Works on Paper Exhibition by Neridah Stockley
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 05.11.12
Long-time Alice Springs resident and National Art School graduate Neridah Stockley returns to the Araluen Arts Centre to showcase her exhibition, Works on Paper. Director of the Araluen Cultural Precinct, Mr Tim Rollason, said Works on Paper is Stockley’s eighth...» Read More
Early Papunya Boards Lead Landmark Bonhams Aboriginal Art Auction
Posted by Nicholas Forrest | 09.11.12
Bonhams Australia has put together a fantastic sale of Aboriginal art that will be auctioned in Sydney on the 19th of November. One of the most ambitious and significant sales of Aboriginal art in recent years, the Bonhams sale could...» Read More
Obituary: HARRY (HJ) WEDGE 1957 – 2012
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 12.11.12
Harry Wedge’s politically and emotionally charged work challenged perceived ideas about contemporary Indigenous art and Indigenous peoples’ experience of living in urban Australia. His aesthetic encompasses stories and humorous anecdotes from his childhood at Erambie Mission at Cowra, in the...» Read More
The Astounding Arnaud Serval Auction of Aboriginal Art in Geneva on November 13
Posted by Nicholas Forrest | 13.11.12
The Geneva branch of Koller auctions will offer for sale one of the best collections of contemporary Aboriginal art worldwide during their 13th November auction. Held in collaboration with L'espace d'art Carry On the gallery of Arnaud Serval, who, with...» Read More
Bundyi Festival
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 13.11.12
AlburyCity is hosting the Bundyi: Come Share With Us Festival, 21 – 25 November, celebrating Aboriginal culture. It is a great opportunity to meet and talk with local Aboriginal people. Highlights of the event include: Bundyi Evening Gathering QEII comes...» Read More
The Journey Forward
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 13.11.12
Come on a journey with Albury Art Gallery’s latest exhibition. The Journey Forward is the second exhibition coordinated by AlburyCity and Murray Arts that exclusively showcases artists involved in the Aboriginal Artists Network. The exhibition will feature 13 artists and...» Read More
Gambarra Yasi (Cyclone Yasi) Exhibition
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 13.11.12
This exhibition will feature a collection of small artworks created by Cyclone Yasi workers, volunteers and artists in the wake of the cyclone in 2011. The art centre doesn't know who all the Yasi works were created by, as the...» Read More
PAPUNYA TULA CELEBRATES ITS 40TH
Posted by Jeremy Eccles | 17.11.12
Alice Springs is in party mode this weekend as Papunya Tula Artists (PTA) celebrates the 40th anniversary of its founding in 1972, just one year after Aboriginal Desert painting had started at the 'prison camp' that was the government settlement...» Read More
$26 million for Indigenous culture, languages and visual arts projects
Posted by Jeremy Eccles | 19.11.12
More than $26 million is up for grabs for community groups to showcase the best of Australia's Indigenous culture, languages and visual arts. Arts Minister Simon Crean today called on community organisations to apply for the 2013–14 Indigenous culture, languages...» Read More
BRINGING THE DESERT TO PERTH
Posted by Jeremy Eccles | 20.11.12
We don’t need a map is a major new exhibition celebrating the distinct and joyful visual language of the Martu and their connection to country. This expansive exhibition, taking place at the Fremantle Arts Centre (FAC) until January, provides an...» Read More
Catch it before it ends: OUR MOB 2012
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 22.11.12
Our Mob 2012, ending on 2 December, is a statewide celebration of South Australian Indigenous art and artists. Now in its seventh year, this annual exhibition is an engaging experience that raises public awareness and understanding of Indigenous art and...» Read More
ARTITJA: THE GIFT COLLECTION – ART + OBJECTS
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 22.11.12
For the first time South Fremantle based Artitja Fine Art will hold their Christmas affordable art exhibition on the first floor of the PS Art Space in Packenham Street, in central Fremantle. Now in its fourth year the ART +...» Read More
Highlights From November Aboriginal Art Auctions
Posted by Nicholas Forrest | 22.11.12
A number of auctions of Aboriginal art have taken place over the last couple of weeks producing a number of sales. The 13th November Arnaud Serval Auction of Aboriginal Art held in Geneva by Koller Auctions included paintings by highly...» Read More
BEAUTIFUL ONE DAY.....?
Posted by Jeremy Eccles | 23.11.12
Unspoken in this ironical borrowing of the Queensland State tourism slogan is a quite different conclusion – DEAD THE NEXT. For this new play at Belvoir Theatre in Sydney is another telling of the sad story of the death of...» Read More
Kick Arts Exhibition, Seed to Seed
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 23.11.12
Seed to Seed is an exhibition of new paintings by the 2012 Redlands Art Prize winner, Claudine Marzik, and ephemeral sculpture by renowned Cairns florist, Tijn Meulendijks. The exhibition has been developed over the last eight weeks in the KickArts...» Read More
EMERGING ABORIGINAL ARTISTS MAY BE 'CHOSEN'
Posted by Jeremy Eccles | 25.11.12
The Australia Council's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts Board is calling on senior artists and other elders in Indigenous communities to identify young people and emerging artists who need to be skilled up. Sums of money up to $20,000...» Read More
Unique Indigenous story teller awarded
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 26.11.12
Indigenous writer, poet and story teller Herb Wharton has been awarded the Australia Council Award for Lifetime Achievement in Literature; a $50,000 award that recognises the achievements of eminent writers who have made outstanding and lifelong contributions to Australian literature....» Read More
December, 2012
Deutscher && Hackett Achieve $100,000+ for Two Aboriginal Paintings
Posted by Nicholas Forrest | 03.12.12
Deutscher and Hackett’s November 28 Aboriginal Art auction produced some great results with two paintings selling for more than $100,000 (including buyer’s premium). The overall sale total of $671,100, which equated to 64% sold by volume and 53% sold by...» Read More
Spinifex Arts Project tours Germany in 2013
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 13.12.12
PRO COMMUNITY is an exhibition format developed and organized by Artkelch in Freiburg, Germany, that features excellent art from community based art centers in a touring exhibition in Germany. Artists from one art centre (or a small group of art...» Read More
TIWI - THE BOOK
Posted by Jeremy Eccles | 19.12.12
by Jennifer Isaacs, published by the wonderful Miegunyah Press at Melbourne University at $120 It's been an amazing year for Aboriginal art books – never known a better. If only I'd had time to read them all rather than just...» Read More
An Indigenous Celebration of 40 Years of Cultural Links with China
Posted by Jeremy Eccles | 21.12.12
The 40th anniversary year of Gough Whitlam establishing diplomatic links with Mao's China has just come to an end with the closure of an exhibition of Indigenous photography in Beijing. Intriguingly, none of the publicity mentioned its exclusively Aboriginal origins...» Read More
The Emily Kame Kngwarreye Museum Gets Ready to Open
Posted by Aboriginal Art Directory | 26.12.12
Of the many highly acclaimed superstars of the Aboriginal art movement, now 40 years old, none shine as brightly as Emily Kame Kngwarreye. Volumes have been written by academics, art critics, curators and historians about her genius and uniqueness. The...» Read More
