National Indigenous Art Triennial

13 October 2007 – 10 February 2008

http://nga.gov.au/NIAT07/index.cfm

The inaugural National Indigenous Art Triennial will be held at the Gallery in Canberra later this year. Presenting the work of thirty artists from each state and territory, the Triennial demonstrates the incredible range of contemporary Indigenous art practice. It is the largest survey show of Indigenous art at the Gallery in more than fifteen years, featuring up to four works by each artist created during the past three years in a variety of media, including painting on bark and canvas, sculpture, textiles, weaving, new media, photomedia, printmaking and installation. The works selected not only create an exhibition of outstanding quality but are also ultimately important acquisitions for the national collection.

Internationally, there has been incredible interest in contemporary Indigenous art from Australia, most notably with the prestigious Australian Indigenous Art Commission at the new Musée du quai Branly, Paris, in June 2006. And there can be no doubt that locally the launch of the Triennial is well-timed. Not only does it open the day after the Gallery’s twenty-fifth anniversary, it also coincides with the fortieth anniversary of the 1967 Referendum (Aboriginals), whereby non-Indigenous Australians (90.77%) voted overwhelmingly to include Indigenous Australians on the census as citizens, and the fiftieth anniversary of NAIDOC (National Aboriginal and Islander Day Observance Committee). These anniversaries are a major inspiration for the exhibition’s thematic context.

The Culture Warriors "big guns" | Exhibition launch | Selected works

Events Calendar | 25th Anniversary Events | NIAT Artists Talks