Pratiksha Shome
Following complaints of influence from white studio workers, the National Gallery of Australia (NGA) has formally postponed a significant exhibition of Aboriginal artwork that is currently being reviewed.
The official postponement of the exhibition Ngura Pulka – Epic Country was announced in a statement from the museum on June 7. The exhibition, which was supposed to debut this month and featured works by Aboriginal artists from the APY Art Centre Collective (APY ACC), was advertised as one of the NGA’s biggest community-driven art projects.
According to a statement on the gallery’s website, “all parts of Ngura Pulka are entirely conceived, created, directed, and determined by Aangu people.” “The APY Lands, in outback South Australia, are home to 2,500 people and maintain a network of Aangu communities, including seven significant art centres.
A report from The Australian claimed that white studio staff had painted on works attributed to residents of Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY), sparsely populated lands in remote South Australia that are home to more than 20 Aboriginal communities. As a result, the museum stated in April that it was reviewing the exhibition’s artworks. The Australian also released a film that it said showed a non-Indigenous art assistant making artistic decisions and painting on a representation of the Tjukurpa, the time when ancestral creatures were created and also when the morality, law, and religious beliefs that underpin Anangu society were developed.
According to the NGA, the decision to delay the opening of Ngura Pulka – Epic Country was made as a result of the Australian government announcing it would conduct a joint investigation and an independent panel review needing more time to “fully complete their work” to determine whether the works were consistent with the museum’s provenance policy.
In relation to the exhibition, the National Gallery will collaborate with the artists and Aangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) community leaders, and it will wait for the results of both reviews, according to a statement from the museum. “The National Gallery is committed to continuing to collaborate with APY Lands artists and supporting their ground-breaking work.”
Initially, the NGA stated that it anticipated getting the independent review’s conclusions by May 31.
The gallery’s decision to postpone the display was backed by a statement from the APY ACC, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. It declared, “Light is always the best defence against darkness.”
“We encourage the strictest and most thorough inspections of the work, especially in light of recent claims that we believe are unfounded. We are satisfied to wait for the impartial panel to release its findings since we are confident in the veracity and authenticity of the works and are extremely proud of this project, every aspect of our significant programme, and the company we’ve developed.
Source: ARTnews
