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This year’s $50,000 Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award (Telstra NATSIAA), Australia’s most prestigious Indigenous art prize, has been awarded to Western Australian artist Jukuja Dolly Snell for her work entitled, Kurtal.
Selected from more than 290 entries and 65 finalists, Kurtal depicts Snell’s country, its spirits and stories. The black and yellow depicts body paint used when dancing for rain. The white stripes represent the small rainclouds that appear in the sky before rain.
“That’s my Kurtal, now! As long as I’ve been born there. That one, Kurtal. Not from another jila, no! One jila,” Snell said.
The winning work was selected by a judging panel consisting of; Tony Ellwood, Director of the National Gallery of Victoria; Cara Pinchbeck, Curator of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art at the Art Gallery of New South Wales; and Western Australian painter Daniel Walbidi, the 2014 winner of the Telstra General Painting Award.
“Portrayals of water stories are common to desert artists. In this instance Ms Snell has depicted her water story with powerful gestural marks and strong and vibrant colour,” said Pinchbeck.
Jukuja Dolly Snell’s Kurtal is a powerful rendition of her husband’s traditional land and stories from the Great Sandy Desert. Common to desert artists are portrayals of water stories, in this instance Snell has depicted this with powerful gestural marks. Strong and vibrant colour has also been employed alongside watery translucent passages. Adding to the impact of this work is its imposing scale.
The Telstra General Painting Award
Betty Kuntiwa Pumani from Mimili Community in South Australia for her work Antara (Maku Dreaming). “The intricacy of the mark making in this work is very commanding,” the judges said.
The Telstra Bark Painting Award
Nonggirrnga Marawili from Yirrkala in the Northern Territory for her work Lightning in the Rock. This shows the lightning’s sacred power, as it hits the sea spray rising from the rock. “This work has a powerful presence with an imposing scale,” the judges said.
The Telstra Work on Paper
Robert Fielding from Mimili Community in South Australia for his work Milkali Kutju, which means ‘One Blood’ in Pitjantjatjara. The work responds to the high levels of racism Robert experienced growing up in Port Augusta. It’s a “strong statement about cultural identity,” the judging panel said.
The Wandjuk Marika Memorial Three-Dimensional Award
Rhonda Sharpe from Larapinta Town Camp in Alice Springs for her work Rhonda. The sculpture incorporates wool, cotton and feathers. While seemingly playful, the judges described it as an “extremely brave and honest work that talks about personal conflict”.
The Telstra Youth Award
Josh Muir for his work Buninyong. This digital print captures a history of Buninyong, a town located just outside of Ballarat. The Telstra Youth Award was introduced in 2014 for artists aged 18 to 25 years.
The Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory has hosted the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award (NATSIAA) since 1984. The aim of the award is to recognise the important contribution made by Indigenous artists from regional and urban areas throughout Australia, working in both traditional and contemporary media. It’s an important showcase for both established and emerging artists and has come to be regarded as one of the premier national events in the Australian Indigenous art calendar.
The Telstra NATSIAA is also supported by the Northern Territory Government and the Australia Council for the Arts.
Museum and Art Gallery of The Northern Territory (MAGNT)
Until 1 November, 2015
Northern Territory
Jukuja Dolly Snell, Kurtal, 2015, acrylic on canvas
