TOGART CONTEMPORARY ART AWARD (NT) 2009 DOUGLAS KWARLPLE ABBOTT KAWAYI NAMPITJINPA KOOLPINYAH BARNES GLEN NAMUNDJA CHRIS BARRY MAKINTI NAPANANGKA ROB BROWN FLORRIE WATSON NAPANGATI BRYAN BULLEY NINGURA NAPURRULA FARIDAH CAMERON HUBERT PAREROULTJA KIRSTY FLETCHER JOSIE KUNOTH PETYARRE GUNYBI GANAMBARR KATARZYNA POTOCKA GAWIRRIN GUMANA AO PETER QUINN ANGELINA GEORGE TOBIAS RICHARDSON CHAYNI HENRY CONSTANCE ROBINYA MATT HUTTLESTONE MERRAN SIERAKOWSKI TJUKAPATI JAMES TOMMY GONDORRA STEELE WINSOME JOBLING MARINA STROCCHI DINNI KUNOTH KEMARRE JENNY TAYLOR ADRIENNE KNEEBONE NYILYARI TJAPANGATI CATHY LAUDENBACH GEORGE TJUNGURRAYI CHIPS MACKINOLTY HARRY TJUTJUNA ANNIEBELL MARRNGAMARRNGA HAYLEY WEST NANCY MCDINNY LISA WOLFGRAMM PIP MCMANUS LENA YARINKURA PAULINE MORAN CONTENTS 3 Sharing a Vision — The Honourable Paul Henderson MLA 4 A Message from the Toga Group — Ervin H Vidor AM 5 Liquid Light — Dr Daena Murray 6 The Magician’s Hat — Ian McLean 8 The Judges — A brief biography 9 Douglas Kwarlple Abbott 10 Koolpinyah Barnes 11 Chris Barry 12 Rob Brown 13 Bryan Bulley 14 Faridah Cameron 15 Kirsty Fletcher 16 Gunybi Ganambarr 17 Gawirrin Gumana AO Togart Contemporary Art Award (NT) 2009 18 Angelina George 19 Chayni Henry 20 Matt Huttlestone 21 Tjukapati James 22 Winsome Jobling 23 Dinni Kunoth Kemarre 24 Adrienne Kneebone 25 Cathy Laudenbach 26 Chips Mackinolty 27 Anniebell Marrngamarrnga 28 Nancy McDinny 29 Pip McManus 30 Pauline Moran 31 Kawayi Nampitjinpa 32 Glen Namundja 33 Makinti Napanangka 34 Florrie Watson Napangati 35 Ningura Napurrula 36 Hubert Pareroultja 37 Josie Kunoth Petyarre 38 Katarzyna Potocka 39 Peter Quinn This publication is copyright. Apart from any dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism, review as permitted 40 Tobias Richardson under the Copyright Act, no part of this publication or its images 41 Constance Robinya can be reproduced, stored in a retrievable system or transmitted 42 Merran Sierakowski in any form, electronic, photocopying, mechanical recording or otherwise without prior permission. Enquiries can be made with 43 Tommy Gondorra Steele The Toga Group of Companies 44 Marina Strocchi Editor Felicity Green 45 Jenny Taylor Major Contributors Dr Daena Murray and Ian McLean 46 Nyilyari Tjapangati Award Pre-selection Panel Dr Sarah Scott, Dr Carol Wilson Dr Andrea Ash, Felicity Green, Ervin Vidor AM, and Allan Vidor 47 George Tjungurrayi Award Judging Panel Deborah Hart, Philip Bacon AM, 48 Harry Tjutjuna Franchesca Cubillo 49 Hayley West Graphic Design Designfront Printed by PR Print 50 Lisa Wolfgramm Exhibition Design Margie West AM 51 Lena Yarinkura © The Toga Group 52 Contacts SHARING A VISION The NT Government and the Toga Group have forged a close relationship through the development of the Waterfront with public art an important part of this visionary project. The results speak for themselves—you just have to walk through the parks and gardens to discover some of the impressive public art dotted throughout the Precinct. It is great to see couples entwined in Katrina Tyler’s Fragments outside the Convention Centre, children riding Janice Murray’s Jipiyontong beside the wave pool and visitors reading the Palm Trees by Dadang Christanto at the entrance to the Promenade. The Toga Group’s commitment to the Territory’s cultural environment started in 2006 with the inception of the Togart Contemporary Art Award. It has brought forward an eclectic collection of artists and artwork for public scrutiny. This year is no exception with a record number of fi nalists on display—recognition of the high esteem the Award is gaining. I invite everyone to enjoy these wonderful artworks. The Honourable Paul Henderson MLA Chief Minister of the Northern Territory Bush Football (detail), Josie Kunoth Petyarre CELEBRATING DIVERSITY Message from the Toga Group The fi rst stage of the Darwin Waterfront This year’s entries grew 25% on 2008 is now open to the public and offers and our recognition extends not only to a truly outstanding compilation of the fi ne works exhibited in this catalogue public art commissions that have been but also to the remainder of the entrants woven into the fabric of this world class who provided such strong competition environment. The cultural and heritage this year. signifi cance of these artworks will I would like to sincerely thank the pre- hopefully inspire Territorians and visitors selection panel for assisting us to make across future generations. Many of the the fi nal selection of artists for this year’s artists who have contributed towards exhibition and to those who have assisted this public art have also been exhibitors in managing this successful event. acknowledged in the current and previous Togart Contemporary Art Awards. The Chief Minister of the Northern Territory, The Honourable Paul Henderson MLA has The Togart Award evolved as part of been a committed supporter of the Togart our vision to support multi-cultural Award for some years now and again I contemporary artists from this region. express our gratitude to him and his staff It has grown from strength to strength for hosting this year’s exhibition at since it’s inception in 2006 and Toga is Parliament House. proud to continue to support this initiative. Turning back to the exhibited artworks, This year the Togart Award has again we could not present the fi nale without achieved what it set out to do and we our distinguish judges who have agreed are all proud to experience not only the to make the most challenging decision of quantum and cultural diversity of artists all—choosing one winner for the 2009 rising to the challenge but also the Togart Contemporary Art Award. For this increasing quality and breadth of we too are grateful. their artworks. Ervin Vidor AM Executive Chairman 4 LIQUID LIGHT: TOGART AWARD 2009 by Dr Daena Murray Memories of Childhood (Cat—detail), Constance Robinya When the Togart Contemporary Art Award sculptural interpretation from personal The fi ght for land and sea rights are was established three years ago it was history. Compare Hubert Pareroultja’s also evoked by Gunybi Ganambarr’s eagerly received by non-Indigenous artists magical wave of a desert mountain range impressive 3D painting Ngarraku mulkurr in the Top End, who had had few annual with another very different watercolour (my thinking). It depicts a site on Blue opportunities to show their current work. wave: Hayley West’s mountain of Mud Bay in east Arnhemland where the This initiative of the Toga Group in raising wet clothes. As is typical of art by spirit ancestor, Burrut’tji the lightning the profi le of Australian contemporary Territorians, everywhere there is humour, serpent, resides. At the onset of the art annually in the Darwin scene has led by court jester Rob Brown, and Wet season Burrut’tji is aroused and been embraced ever since. The only snake-charmer Tobias Richardson. sends lightning over the bay. Fresh water other major annual award shows in the fl ows from the fl ood plain at the site Many artists contemplate the signifi cance Territory are the National Aboriginal and and into Blue Mud Bay, symbolising of colonisation and cross-cultural Torres Strait Islander Art Award (NATSIAA) renewal, fertility and the power of kinship. exchange between Indigenous and at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Blue Mud Bay features in the earliest non-Indigenous people, matters of Northern Territory since 1984, and the extant images of the Northern Territory, such pervasive concern in the Territory. Alice Prize, mounted by the Alice Springs dating to 1802, when William Westall on Thus we have references to maritime Art Foundation since 1970. The winners the Flinders’ expedition captured aspects history and mapping in Merran of the 2008 Telstra NATSIAA award, of Yanyuwa country. Today in Togart we Sierakowski’s The global…, Winsome Makinti Napanangka, and the 2008 Alice have a work by Yanyuwa artist Nancy Jobling’s Lunar globe—res communis Prize, Pip McManus, are represented McDinny, Loading cattle onto steam and Matt Huttlestone’s sculpture, in this year’s Togart exhibition. train at Kujabi, interpreting with affection Charles Darwin. Whitefella mapping the results of colonisation on her family. The record number of entries in this can be compared with the very different year’s Togart Award is indicative of Aboriginal mapping of sites and the Presenting the art of different ethnicities the thriving contemporary art scene in associated jukurrpa (dreaming stories), and cultures in one exhibition is not the Northern Territory. Indigenous art such as in Kawayi Nampitjinpa’s and without challenges and comparing from this part of Australia is known and Nyilyari Tjapangati’s untitled works. them in order to award a prize is acclaimed nationally and internationally even more problematic. But that it One of the more exciting aspects of the and several artists represented in the happens at all, through this important exhibition is the wealth of metaphor used exhibition, including Gawirrin Gumana award sponsored by the Toga group, by the artists, to explore these themes. and Ningura Napurrula, are senior is to be welcomed and used. Katarzyna Potocka’s evocation of the practitioners of some years standing. shallow-rooted African mahogany tree Dr Daena Murray is a curator and writer Less well known but equally energetic in her sculpture Khaya’s veined diary of over twenty years standing, including are the non-Indigenous artists who have is a telling symbol of colonisation here. fourteen as the Curator of Visual Arts made the Territory their home or the In Adrian Kneebone’s Town and kantri at the Museum and Art Gallery of the basis for their practice for substantial Aboriginal weaving techniques create Northern Territory (1993–2007). Her most periods. Chips Mackinolty and Marina a stockman’s hat. Koolpinyah Barnes’ recent publication, The Sound of the Sky Strocchi are among these in Togart 2009.