Reconciliation Action Plan

Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art Reconciliation Action Plan 33 Johnny Warangkula Tjupurrula , Luritja people / Women’s Ceremony in a Cave 1971 / Purchased 2021 with the support of the Australian Government through the National Cultural Heritage Account and the QAGOMA Foundation / © Estate of Johnny Warangkula Tjupurrula/Aboriginal Artists Agency, 2022 CASE STUDY: MAJOR ACQUISITION Papunya boards The 2020–21 acquisition of 13 board paintings, created during the first critical years of what became known as the contemporary Aboriginal art movement, transformed the Gallery’s Indigenous Australian Art collection. Made in the early 1970s, these paintings are among the earliest works on board by the founding members of the renowned Indigenous art centre Papunya Tula Artists Pty Ltd, and represent a defining moment in the recognition of Indigenous Australian cultures in the visual arts, both nationally and internationally. Each work is representative of a distinct approach by the senior cultural men of Papunya, including Kaapa Mbitjana Tjampitjinpa, Mick Namarari Tjapaltjarri, Tim Leura Tjapaltjarri, Shorty Lungkarta Tjungurrayi and Yala Yala Gibbs Tjungurrayi. The paintings are a testament to the resilience of these artists, who created the works to care for their culture and who were willing to share their knowledge with the nation — and, subsequently, the world. Their initially small steps sparked a groundswell of artistic activity across the Western Desert that propelled the movement to the forefront of contemporary practice and, crucially, generated new discourse around Indigenous Australian art. This major acquisition was made possible through a $600 000 grant from the Australian Government’s National Cultural Heritage Account. Uta Uta Tjangala , Pintupi people / Tjitiji Kutjarra at Yawarrankunya (Two Boys Dreaming) 1972 / Purchased 2021 with the support of the Australian Government through the National Cultural Heritage Account and the QAGOMA Foundation / © Estate of Uta Uta Tjangala/Aboriginal Artists Agency, 2022 Thanks to support from the National Cultural Heritage Account, QAGOMA’s holdings of culturally significant Papunya boards from the Central Desert region have doubled. These seemingly modest works depict Dreaming stories linked to land, custom and history, and significantly, they sparked conversations among the artists about how to conceal the secret/sacred parts of their stories on board. While ‘dotting’ features in traditional designs in many Indigenous nations across the Australian continent, it is widely heralded that the over-dotting technique now synonymous with the popular conception of Aboriginal art was born here, in Australia’s Western Desert art movement. Significant acquisitions, such as this group of Papunya boards, demonstrate QAGOMA’s commitment to preserving and sharing the rich diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander creativity. Katina Davidson Curator, Indigenous Australian Art, QAGOMA