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Canberra Today 14°/19° | Friday, March 29, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

Gallery’s help from the West

 

Alick Topoti, Crocodile Shark Mask 2010

WESFARMERS will become the National Gallery of Australia’s official Indigenous Art Partner from 2012.

The new partnership valued at $1.4 million, will span four years and include the company’s ongoing support of the Wesfarmers Arts Indigenous Fellowships program and the 2nd National Indigenous Art Triennial.

Helen Carroll, head of Wesfarmers Arts, says: “Wesfarmers is committed to promoting the role of art and culture in our society – in particular, the central place that indigenous culture occupies in defining the contemporary face of Australia and our national identity on the world stage.”

“The National Gallery of Australia is delighted to be strengthening our partnership with an iconic Australian company such as Wesfarmers,” NGA Council chairman Rupert Myer said.

“What makes our partnership so successful is our mutual commitment to developing and promoting appreciation of Indigenous art and increasing indigenous participation in the visual arts sector.”

For Myer’s part, he talked up the leadership of the gallery in this area, saying the flagship gallery “continues to lead the way in the display and promotion of Indigenous art as demonstrated by the opening of the 11 new Stage One Indigenous art galleries in 2010, as well as the launch of the Wesfarmers Art Indigenous Leadership Program and the staging of the second National Indigenous Art Triennial”.

The gallery has also announced that Qantas, the Australia Council,  the Queensland Indigenous Arts Marketing and Export Agency and Forrest Hotel and Apartments would be supporting “UnDisclosed: 2nd National Indigenous Art Triennial”, as well as the Wesfarmers Arts Leadership Seminar.

More than 260,000 visitors attended the first National Indigenous Art Triennial, “Culture Warriors”, which opened late in 2007 in Canberra and closed in Washington DC in early 2010.

Now Carly Lane, Curator of Indigenous Art at the Art Gallery of Western Australia, is to curate “UnDisclosed”, bringing a fresh perspective to the exhibition.

The 20 artists featured in the exhibition will be: Tony Albert, Vernon Ah Kee, Bob Burruwal, Michael Cook, Lorraine Connelly-Northey, Nici Cumpston, Fiona Foley, Mirdidingkingathi Juwarnda Sally Gabori, Gunybi Ganambarr, Julie Gough, Lindsay Harris, Jonathan Jones, Danie Mallor, Naata Nungurrayi, Maria Josette Orsto, Daniel Walbidi, Christian Bumbarra Thompson, Alick Tipoti, Lena Yarinkura and Nyapanyapa Yunupingu.

The National Gallery of Australia and Wesfarmers Arts will present “UnDisclosed: 2nd National Indigenous Art Triennial” at the National Gallery of Australia from May 11 until 10 July 2012.

Lindsay Harris, Boya Ngorpung (Rocks with blood) 2010

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