Latest news with #MaudPage
7NEWS
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- 7NEWS
Landmark exhibition Yolngu power comes to the Art Gallery of NSW
One of Australia's most internationally renowned arts communities is now on show at the Art Gallery of NSW. The exhibition, Yolngu Power: the art of the Yirrkala, features almost 300 works by 98 Aboriginal artists connected to Yirrkala in the Northern Territory's Arnhem Land. The collection traces the history of art from the world-renowned community and showcases the continuation of and diversity within practice from the 1940s to today. Coinciding with Yolngu Power, The Mulka Project is also premiering a major new commission in the Art Gallery's Nelson Packer Tank. The first look has been given to Yalu, an immersive light and sound experience designed to bring the colours and songs of Yolngu country to the former wartime oil bunker underneath the gallery. The exhibition opened today, June 21, and will run until October. The Art Gallery of NSW said: 'The exhibition is presented in partnership with the Aboriginal-owned art centre, Buku-Larrŋgay Mulka Centre located in Yirrkala. 'The art centre was established as an act of Yolngu self-determination in the 1970s, in the midst of the land rights movement. 'Decades earlier, artists at Yirrkala were among the first Indigenous Australians to employ art as a political tool, most notably through the Yirrkala Bark Petitions of 1963, which were sent to the Australian Parliament to assert Yolngu custodianship of Country. 'Yolngu people have painted sacred designs on the body and objects since time immemorial. 'Known as miny'tji these designs are not merely decorative, they are important patterns that denote the interconnection between Yolŋu people, law and Country. 'Through these visual languages, artists from Yirrkala have shared art as a means of cultural diplomacy — as a respectful assertion of power in its diverse forms, from sovereignty to influence, authority and control, to energy, strength and pride.' NSW Arts Minister John Graham said the exhibition was an incredible opportunity for both NSW locals and tourists. 'This exhibition will be a rare opportunity in Sydney to experience the power and generosity of the artists of Yirrkala, one of Australia's most revered arts communities,' he said. 'I urge locals and visitors to make their way to the Art Gallery of New South Wales this winter for this exceptional exhibition that celebrates the artists of Yirrkala whose contribution to both Australian and international art, is profound.' Art Gallery of NSW director Maud Page said she was 'immensely proud' of the gallery's history with the Yirrkala community. 'We are delighted to come together again to present our major winter exhibition, Yolngu power: the art of Yirrkala,' she said. Yolngu power: the art of Yirrkala spotlights Yirrkala artists spanning multiple generations and art forms including bark paintings, drawings, prints, and sculpture in both wood and metal, alongside video works and immersive digital installations. Exhibition curator and Art Gallery of New South Wales head of First Nations, Cara Pinchbeck said: 'Yolngu power explores the distinct shifts in practice instigated by artists as a means of asserting power through art over time. 'This power takes diverse forms, from the power inherent in the sacred designs of miny'tji and the cultural inheritance of artists, to the transformation of natural and reclaimed materials into exceptional artworks and the sentience of Country as it is enlivened by seasonal change.' Yolngu power: the art of Yirrkala will be on display at the Art Gallery of NSW, in the Ainsworth Family Gallery in Naala Badu from June 21 to October 6, 2025. Tickets are now on sale alongside tickets for the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prizes 2025 exhibition.
ABC News
06-06-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Maud Page finds her muse, two months into leading Art Gallery of NSW
Two months into one of the most prized jobs in art, Maud Page has found a muse in the world of politics. "I really want the urgency, almost, of a politician," Ms Page told the ABC. The state's parliament is almost in sight of the institution she has been chosen to lead, the Art Gallery of NSW (AGNSW). While some of her predecessors have enjoyed decades-long tenures (Edmund Capon held the top job for 33 years), the gallery's new director is determined not to waste a moment. "I really want to say, 'I've got three years to really make a difference'," she said. "I know that the first few years, even the first couple of weeks and months are really, really crucial in setting the flavour and setting the ambition." Ms Page is the 10th permanent director of the gallery since it was founded in the late 19th century. She is also the first woman at the helm. "But I am really pleased that there has been a shift." As rare as the appointment of a woman, is the promotion of an existing employee to lead the organisation. Ms Page joined AGNSW as deputy director in 2017, working under Michael Brand, who decided to step down late last year. "There is a ceiling to the deputy director [role] and usually deputy directors do not get director jobs," Ms Page said. Recruiters searched the globe for Dr Brand's replacement for a fee of up to $154,000, but ultimately his deputy was deemed the best person for the $509,000-a-year job. "The diamond is shinier outside, so I'm really, really pleased that on this occasion the committee chose to look from within," Ms Page said. Ms Page's political skills have been put to the test early in her tenure amid rumblings of tension at the gallery. According to a report in the Australian Financial Review, two senior executives were believed to have resigned within a fortnight of Ms Page's promotion. The newspaper, citing "sources close to the gallery", reported that a "rift" had emerged in the institution. When ABC's Stateline put the claims to Ms Page, she did not deny the reports but, with the deft communication skills of a politician, explained that change was natural. "A creative environment is one where there's strong discussions," Ms Page said. The new director was unafraid to weigh in on a recent controversy in the art world — the dumping of artist Khaled Sabsabi as Australia's representative at the 2026 Venice Biennale. The Coalition raised concerns in federal parliament in February that some of his old work had glorified terrorism, a representation the artist said was false. Within hours, Sabsabi was dropped by Creative Australia, which said his selection posed an "unacceptable risk to public support for Australia's artistic community". Ms Page wouldn't say whether she thought the decision undermined artistic freedom, but she did heap praise on the artist. "What I can say is that Khaled Sabsabi is an extraordinary artist, and a very thoughtful one, and a very senior artist and very respected," she said. "Everyone has an opinion about art, so there's interference with art all the time. And so I think it's up to us as institutions and as leaders to make sure we navigate that carefully." As for the stamp Ms Page wants to leave on the gallery, she plans to increase the focus on First Nations art, which she said is Australia's "point of difference when the world looks at us". "Unfortunately, they don't look at all our array of amazing artists, but they do look at the Indigenous because that's never been seen before." She also plans to ramp up children's programming in a bid to make the gallery feel like a "second home" for everyone. "I want to make sure that on every single floor there's something for families to do and that it's intergenerational and really exciting when you walk through these doors. "I want you to feel it, that it's palpable, that you've got something for you, and that you feel absolutely welcome."
