News and Media

Artbank has today launched its latest exhibition in collaboration with 12 artists from the Tjungu Palya Art Centre in South Australia, as part of the International Year of Indigenous Languages.

Two years in the making, Tjungu Palyangku Tjukurpa titutjara kunpu ngaranytja-ku | As we come together we stand strong for our story retells Tjukurpa (sacred stories) through different mediums including painting, ink drawing and performance video. The unique exhibition is now on display at Artbank’s Sydney gallery and opens at Artbank’s Melbourne premises next week.

Led by the Watarru Collaborative, the Kanmpi Collaborative and the Wati Collaborative, the exhibition shows the vibrancy and contemporary nature of their stories and way of life through inma (performing sacred ritual).

Language is a key focus for the exhibition with some of the videos including local Indigenous languages spoken by some of the artists. There is also supporting material available with translations and explanations of the stories embedded in the artworks.

Featured artists include Teresa Baker, Maringka Baker, Kani Tunkin Baker, Ruth Fatt, Kunmanara (Wipana) Jimmy, Beryl Jimmy, Imitjala Pollard, Keith Stevens, Bernard Tjalkuri and Ginger Wikilyiri.

All of the artworks have been acquired for the Artbank collection and will be available through its leasing scheme once the exhibition has concluded. Artbank’s leasing scheme allows individuals and organisations to rent Australian artworks to be displayed in their chosen space. The leasing fees contribute towards supporting emerging and established Australian artists.

The exhibition is free to attend and bookings are not required:

Artbank Sydney

Where: 222 Young Street Waterloo NSW 
Dates: 18 July to 8 November 2019 
Time: Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm

Artbank Melbourne

Where: 18 – 24 Down Street Collingwood VIC
Dates: 25 July to 8 November 2019
Time: Wednesday to Friday, 11am to 4pm

For more information visit: www.artbank.gov.au/exhibitions

Media contact: E: media@artbank.gov.au │ P: 02 6271 1777

About Artbank

Established in 1980, Artbank is an Australian Government arts support program. The program aims to increase the sustainability and accessibility of Australian contemporary art; support Australian contemporary artists; and encourage engagement with Australian contemporary art by the broader community. The Artbank collection includes more than 11,000 artworks across a range of mediums including painting, video, photography and sculpture. The artworks can be accessed through Artbank’s unique art leasing program where artworks can be leased by organisations and individuals.

About the Tjungu Palya Art Centre

Tjungu Palya is based in the Nyapari Community in South Australia. It is an Aboriginal owned corporation that represents a group of top tier Australian Indigenous artists. Tjungu Palya focuses on the production of high quality artworks which are produced in the studio. Find out more: www.tjungu.com

Artbank presents Uncertain Territory, an exhibition that brings together the work of contemporary Australian artists who explore and confront environmental, political and cultural tensions in the landscape. The exhibition will be open until 17 May 2019 at Artbank Sydney (222 Young Street, Waterloo, NSW).

Curated by 2018 Glover Prize winner Halinka Orszulok, the exhibition examines multifaceted narratives within landscapes.

‘The notion that we can stake out territory as our own is fraught with complications. There are economic, agricultural, environmental, political, cultural and spiritual stakeholders, all writing their own stories over the landscape,’ said Halinka.

‘Sometimes it is impossible for these narratives to co-exist. These artworks remind us that when observing the landscape, we need to remain aware of the ground that we are viewing from and occasionally challenge the habitual ways that we frame place. We are on a journey where we must continue to adapt thoughtfully.’

Participating artists consider the spirituality of place, class politics, the natural cycles of the seasons and the land, cultural identity, land ownership, and socially engaged artistic practices across a range of media.

The exhibition will feature a live biochar artwork by Kandos School of Cultural Adaptation artist Georgie Pollard which demonstrates what is possible when artists and farmers come together to envision a new future for agriculture and the environment.

Uncertain Territory artists include: Uri Auerbach, Tina Havelock Stevens, Alana Hunt, Kandos School of Cultural Adaptation, Daniel Mudie Cunningham, Raquel Ormella, Halinka Orszulok, Kunmanara Williams and Sammy Dodd.

‘Pressures on the environment are clearly the pressing problem of the now. Uncertain Territory creatively looks at land use from water to soil; it is challenging, hopeful and even sometimes beautiful,’ said Dr Oliver Watts, Head Curator of Artbank.

About Artbank

Established in 1980, Artbank is an Australian Government arts support program, and a key component of the Government’s support for visual artists. The program aims to increase the sustainability and accessibility of Australian contemporary art; support Australian contemporary artists; and encourage engagement with and appreciation of Australian contemporary art by the broader community. The Artbank collection includes over 10,000 artworks made accessible through the operation of a unique art leasing program where artworks can be leased by the public.

About the Kandos School of Cultural Adaptation (KSCA)

The Kandos School of Cultural Adaptation is a think tank for alternative, sustainable living practices and a platform for artists and others who are experimenting with adaptive cultural change. It aims to support creative work that reaches beyond the familiar context of art to investigate new ways of acting in the world.

Exhibition

Artbank Sydney, 222 Young Street, Waterloo, NSW

22 February to 17 May 2019

Monday to Friday 9am – 5pm

Exhibition opening
Thursday, 21 February 2019, 6 – 8pm

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For additional information

Email: media@artbank.gov.au
Phone: +61 (02) 9697 6000