Arts Nexus

[Eve]

Accolade for non-traditional trend
Louise Martin-Chew

The Australian
April 13, 2006

The 'Xstrata Coal Emerging Indigenous Art Award
Queensland Art Gallery, until May 21.

A NEW national award in the highly competitive, commercial and politicised Aboriginal art world is, by its very nature, going to attract attention. Launched on Friday at the Queensland Art Gallery, the new Emerging Indigenous Art Award presents a marked contrast to the other well known prize in this arena, Darwin's National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award. At $30,000 the acquisitive Emerging Indigenous Art Award is worth less than the first prize of the NATSIAA (which from this year will be worth $40,000 and non-acquisitive) but is more uniform in its quality.

The works range from the much-hyped paintings of Sally Gabori (Mornington Island, Queensland) to hand-coloured photographic landscapes by Nici Cumpston (South Australia) and Lorraine Connelly-Northey's (Victoria) weavings in rusted found metals.

In the context of the Aboriginal art business and its perennial search for the next big name, the selection of the winner was necessarily loaded. Would the judges reward the more traditional, kaleidoscopic and minimal dot paintings of Emily Evans, the innovative take on Tiwi design represented by Timothy Cook, or the slick, urbane and conceptual installation in light and shade by Jonathan Jones?

Jones's work took the big prize. It is a worthy winner but symbolises the co-option of the Aboriginal aesthetic, context and ethics into the mainstream of Australian visual culture. Inquiry into the exploitation of Aboriginal artists may be completely unnecessary within the decade as the tribal sector progressively integrates into contemporary art.

Jones, 28, is an insider. He is employed by the Art Gallery of NSW as Aboriginal programs co-ordinator and also works as an independent curator. His light installations are in the tradition of Dan Flavin and other light artists working internationally, but inspired, he says, by his indigenous heritage. This is contentious. He claims to be from the Kamilaroi-Wiradjuri people, but his aboriginality has been questioned privately by the NSW Aboriginal community for some years.

Now that he has won this new award, these questions have been aired publicly.

His major work in this exhibition, Lumination fall wall weave, occupies about 7m of white wall, into which white electrical cord is woven in a repeated pattern. Below this is a series of single light bulbs. Light is used to cast shadows and shades of grey on the white-on-white work; it suggests the repetitive pattern of light on water but is inspired by stories of the light of indigenous people's camp fires, which early Europeans were always conscious of.

Jones's installation, in its conceptual sophistication and urbanity, stands in dramatic contrast to the other works in this exhibition. The decision to award his work the prize suggests the shape of the future: some of the most interesting indigenous artists are departing from the strong colours, roughly hewn marks, circles and hues of more traditional painters.

Although the award exhibition will continue to be contentious in terms of selection, it covers the nation geographically and stylistically in the emerging area, and represents a strong addition to indigenous industry awards.