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
Warumpi Band Story
Who owns what in a cultural history? The question is raised both openly and implicitly in the world premier of ‘Big Name, No Blankets’, which many will recall was the Read More
Adversarial Opening for Sydney Festival
Te-Wheke – The Adversary didn’t look ready for a fight. Instead, the outsize rubber octopus bobbed quietly up and down, its textured tentacles occasionally appearing to jump from Darling Harbour’s Read More
APYACC Part 9
“An independent panel investigating the APY Art Centre Collective has found substantial evidence of wrongdoing in every area that it was tasked to investigate by the South Australian government, including Read More
Fantasy Institutions
Sadly, the story of institutions where First Nations culture – as distinct from their wonderful visual art – can be seen and appreciated is a generally unhappy one. Non-indigenous planners Read More
Two Sisters Flying
How do you fancy flying in an aircraft called Minyma Kutjara Tjukurpa? In case your Pitjanjatjara isn’t up to it, this name tells the Jukurpa story of two sisters who Read More
Flash Paintings
The telling and re-telling of the Papunya Tula story ought to become more scientific and less mythical as time passes and more research is done. So it’s disappointing to read Read More
Biennale Bonanza
The 24th Biennale of Sydney (in its 50th year) which will open next March is all about excess. Ten Thousand Suns is its name, reflecting “a multiplicity of perspectives, cosmologies Read More
Lutruwita Lunacy
Did it cross your minds that one of the factors that caused the rejection of the Voice Referendum was the very public divisions on the issue by Aboriginal people themselves? Read More
Beaucoups de Buku
A couple of weeks ago I was questioning the decision by policy-makers at the amazing Buku Larrnggay Art Centre in Yirrkala, far east Arnhermland to present the riches from nine Read More
Nellie Walker Revealed
Given the post-Referendum efforts of the likes of Tony Abbott and News Ltd to roll back progress made in recent years to understand and appreciate Aboriginal history and culture, this Read More
The Passing of Two Stars
Mrs Marawili 1939 to 2023 & Mrs Timbery 1931 to 2023 In November 2018, Mrs Marawili received a solo show at the Art Gallery of NSW – an all-too-rare- event Read More