Venice Indigenised
While Australian media has been proudly celebrating the Venice Biennale win by Blak artist Archie Moore of the nation’s first ever Golden Lion (for best national pavilion), the Guardian’s arts Read More
Christian Thompson Sinologue
The inherent scholar in Dr Christian Thompson AO DPhil (it’s not a PhD at Oxford, Christian!) has almost inevitably lead on from his florid photographic examination of his Bidjara personality Read More
Oceania Sweeps the Golden Lions at Venice
Amazing news from La Serenissima. For the first time in the Venice Biennale’s 120 year existence, Australia, which has been there since 1954, has been awarded the Golden Lion for Read More
Fairs Faring
The dry season oop north approaches, and so do the Big Two – the Indigenous art fairs in Cairns and Darwin. First off the blocks is Cairns – now 15 Read More
Naala Badu at AGNSW
Hurrah! The Art Gallery of NSW has belatedly come up with an Aboriginal name for its new $344m building – and a matching name for the 132 year old sandstone Read More
Kelli Cole for the NAAG
Warumunga and Luritja woman, Kelli Cole is to return to Mparntwe/Alice Springs with her new appointment as Director of Curatorial and Engagement at the planned National Aboriginal Art Gallery. “This Read More
Puruntatameri Pottery
“I come from Rangani, that is north western Melville Island (one of the Tiwi Islands). Making this work, I reflect who I am, who my family are and our dances, Read More
Josh Muir Retrospective
I first met the late Josh Muir when when the 23 year old won the new Youth Prize at the 2015 NATSIA Awards. He went on to take out the Read More
The Master Colourist
What a feast of Watsons are on offer in Ken McGregor’s third attempt to capture the history and essence of Tommy Yannima Pikarli Watson, The Master Colourist. And of course Read More
NT’s National Aboriginal Art Gallery progresses
I am indebted to Erwin Chlanda at the Alice Springs News for this material. As far as I could see, the information on the NT’s Dept of Infrastructure, Planning And Read More
10,000 Suns
It seems weirdly appropriate that the 2024 Sydney Biennale entitled Ten Thousand Suns should star Doreen Chapman – a Manyjilyjarra woman born deaf and, as a result, non-verbal – whose Read More
Tackling the Fakes
“Seeking views on new laws to tackle fake Indigenous-style art” shouts the headline on the Federal Office of the Arts (NOT a Ministry) press release – once again perpetuating the Read More
Vincent Namatjira: Australia in colour
“Welcome to the Past, Present and Future” declares the opening page of the new monograph on Vincent Namatjira, surely the Indigenous artist of 2024. For the 40 year old, with Read More
Australia’s largest woven sculpture
I couldn’t resist sharing with you a snippet from John McDonald’s Sydney Morning Herald review of the current NGV Triennial exhibition in Melbourne: “None of this prepares us for the Read More
That Jones Boy Goes to France
Jonathan Jones is emerging more as an academic then the artist I first featured in 2005. The Wiradjuri artist’s project – just closed in Sydney at the newly reopened Artspace, Read More
Foreigners in Venice
The Brazilian curator of April’s 60th Venice Biennale, Adriano Pedrosa has announced the full list of artists he has selected for the 2024 edition of this defining exhibition. There are Read More
Yams Aren’t Scarce
The Kokatha and Nukunu artist Yhonnie Scarce is presenting a major solo show at the Art Gallery of WA, Yhonnie Scarce: The Light of Day from today. Through the media Read More
Killing for Country
David Marr’s magisterial attempt to atone for his Queensland-based Uhr ancestors – brothers Reg and D’Arcy – who headed up units of the notorious Queensland Native Police in the 19th Read More
Marrugeku/Tiddas at Sydney Festival
Given its delayed opening because of Covid – its ‘first night’ was at 1.30pm today - and its short run until only tomorrow, I wanted to rush a review of Read More
