The Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT) is delighted to announce 67 works have been selected from 308 entries to be part of the country’s most prestigious national Indigenous art awards, the Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Awards (NATSIAA).
Significantly this year Telstra NATSIAA has attracted residential entries from every state and territory in Australia: 2 entries from the Australian Capital Territory; 21 entries from New South Wales; 117 entries from the Northern Territory; 32 entries from Queensland; 70 entries from South Australia; 3 entries from Tasmania; 9 entries from Victoria; and 54 entries from Western Australia.
In 2017 Telstra NATSIAA welcomed a new generation of artists with the creation of two new categories – the Telstra Multimedia Award and the Telstra Emerging Artist Award. This year, the number of entrants in these categories has grown, reflecting new talent and opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists with 17 multimedia entries and 107 emerging artist entries; of these 7 are multimedia finalists and 12 are emerging artist finalists.
Other categories comprise: 18 entries for Telstra Bark Painting with 5 finalists; 192 entries for Telstra General Painting with 31 finalists; 32 entries for Telstra Works on Paper with 8 finalists; and 49 entries for the Wandjuk Marika Memorial Three-Dimensional Award with 16 finalists.
Luke Scholes, MAGNT Curator of Aboriginal Art, said: “This year’s Awards have attracted entries of an extraordinary artistic calibre, from diverse geographic regions, highlighting the continuing growth of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts sector.”
Presiding over this year’s Awards, as the Telstra NATSIAA judging panel will be artist Daniel Boyd; Director of the Ian Potter Museum of Art at the University of Melbourne, Kelly Gellatly; and artist Judith Inkamala, senior member of the Hermannsburg Potters.
Daniel Boyd has forged a successful career as an artist since finishing art school in 2005, exhibiting both nationally and internationally; Kelly Gellatly has over 20 years curatorial experience working in leading public art institutions; and Judith Inkamala has been crafting her unique ceramics and passing her knowledge on to the next generation for 25 years as a Hermannsburg Potter.
Marcus Schutenko, MAGNT Director said “Telstra NATSIAA provides a platform for Indigenous artists to voice the views of the broader Indigenous community and contribute to the political, social and cultural dialogue in Australia. MAGNT is grateful for Telstra’s ongoing passion and support for the Awards.”
Telstra has supported NATSIAA for 27 years, providing Australia’s Indigenous artists with a meaningful platform to be creative and innovative on a national stage.
Telstra CEO Andrew Penn said: “Telstra’s connection to NATSIAA stretches back over nearly three decades and we are incredibly proud to be involved. Each year the Awards have grown in status and significance and they now provide a showcase for the unique creativity and diverse talents of Indigenous artists. The quality and scope of the work this year is again superb and underlines the importance of this globally significant artistic celebration.”
Collectively the winners this year will receive $80,000 to assist in their career development.
The seven winners will be announced at an awards ceremony and exhibition opening at MAGNT on Friday evening, 10 August 2018.
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Image: Tamika Grant-Iramu – One of the NATSIAA Finalists.
Born and raised in Brisbane, Tamika Grant-Iramu’s printmaking practice focuses on minute areas of native flora from her immediate environment. From these observations through a strong print aesthetic, she creates a diverse range of organic patterns and forms. The physicality of carving linocut not only allows her to realise these artworks, it has also revealed a connection to her Torres Strait Islander heritage.
Tamika Grant-Iramu graduated from a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2017 at the Queensland College of Art, majoring in Interdisciplinary Print Media. She continues to build a body of work with a focus on Torres Strait Islander printmaking techniques and storytelling aesthetic. Tamika Grant-Iramu is eager to engage with Western and Non-Western print communities as a way to merge these two influential parts of her life.
