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02 august 2024, Flor Linckens

A celebration of women First Nations artists at SmithDavidson Gallery

Jorna Nelson Napurrula, Janganpa (Possum) Dreaming, 2007, SmithDavidson Gallery

Until 9 September, SmithDavidson Gallery in Amsterdam is presenting an exhibition featuring works by contemporary women artists from First Australian communities. Like many other visual cultures, women from these Indigenous communities have long been excluded from the professional art market. This is reflected, for instance, in the collection of The National Gallery of Australia, which, after an internal review in 2019, concluded that only 33% of their ‘Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander’ collection consisted of works by women artists.

Ningura Napurrula, Untitled, 2009, SmithDavidson Gallery

When women artists from these First Nations communities, who were initially encouraged to focus on household tasks, finally gained opportunities in the late 1980s, it enriched the field significantly. They introduced their own visual language, symbols, lived experiences and stories (and sometimes materials) into the art historical canon. This brought renewed vitality and dynamism and provided these women artists, who had long been overshadowed by their male relatives, with a chance to achieve financial independence. Myles Russell-Cook, Senior Curator of Australian and First Nations Art at the National Gallery of Victoria, stated in Vogue in 2021: When First women started painting [visibly], we witnessed an incredible shift in innovation — a freedom of gesture and a spontaneity that sparked a whole new style.” However, these artists also had to fight for their place in the canon, as their works were not immediately accepted in artistic circles, which were partly influenced by the Western gaze that dictated what First Nations art should look like. Ultimately, the work of these women artists proved to be remarkably successful.

Marlene Young Nungurrayi, My Country, SmithDavidson Gallery

In a special summer exhibition, SmithDavidson Gallery showcases works by a range of women Papunya artists, a community in the Northern Territory that is considered to be the birthplace of contemporary First Nations art. Alice Springs serves as the home base for one of the most successful and still active art cooperatives from these communities. The Papunya artists experimented with colour and style, particularly the famous dot painting style, as a way to depict stories and dreams that are often linked to the land, history, traditions and culture. Additionally, First Nation Australian art is considered 'the oldest continuous art tradition in the world'.

SmithDavidson Gallery's group exhibition features works by various women artists: Sarrita King, Esther Giles Nampitjinpa, Kayi Kayi Nampitjinpa, Tjawina Porter Nampitjinpa, Yinarupa Nangala, Tjunkiya Napaltjarri, Dorothy Napangardi, Nyanyuma Napangati, Jorna Nelson Napurrula, Ningura Napurrula, Marlene Young Nungurrayi and Naata Nungurrayi.

Tjunkiya Napaltjarri, Umari (Rockhole) Dreaming, 2001, SmithDavidson Gallery

As it happens, 2024 is also a noteworthy year for male artists from the First Nations of Australia: this year, the Australian pavilion at the Venice Biennale features the exhibition ‘kith and kin’ by Archie Moore. In this exhibition, Moore explores the impact of the detention of First Nation Australians on family ties, visualised through a monumental family tree spanning 65,000 years. The pavilion won the prestigious Golden Lion for Best National Participation, a historic first for Australia.

The exhibition ‘Ladies from Papunya’ will be on display at SmithDavidson Gallery in Amsterdam until 9 September 2024.

Flor Linckens

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02 august 2024, Flor Linckens

A celebration of women First Nations artists at SmithDavidson Gallery

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