Western Australian artist Jukuja Dolly Snell is the winner of Australia’s most prestigious Indigenous art prize for 2015.

Jukuja’s work Kurtal was selected as the overall winner of the Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award (NATSIAA) from more than 290 entries and 65 finalists.

Born in 1933 at Kurtal in the Great Sandy Desert, Jukuja has been painting since the mid-1980s. She first exhibited in 1991 and had her first solo show in Darwin last year.

Kurtal depicts Jukuja’s country, its spirits and stories. The black and yellow depicts body paint used when dancing for rain. The white stripes represent the small rainclouds that appear in the sky before rain.

“That’s my Kurtal, now! As long as I’ve been born there. That one, Kurtal. Not from another jila, no! One jila," she said.

The winning work was selected by a judging panel consisting of; Tony Ellwood, Director of the National Gallery of Victoria; Cara Pinchbeck, Curator of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art at the Art Gallery of New South Wales; and Western Australian painter Daniel
Walbidi, the 2014 winner of the Telstra General Painting
Award.

The judging panel said “portrayals of water stories are common to desert artists. In this instance Snell has depicted her water story with powerful gestural marks and strong and vibrant colour.”

Jukuja will receive $50,000 in prize money.

The award has been run by the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT) in Darwin since 1984. Director Marcus Schutenko congratulated Jukuja on her win.

“Kurtal is a bold and striking work. I suspect that the story Jukuja tells about her painting will captivate all viewers. Congratulations to Jukuja and all of the NATSIAA winners,” he said.

“I’d also like to thank our Principal Sponsor Telstra. Telstra’s continued partnership with the MAGNT has ensured that the NATSIAA continues to showcase the best of Indigenous art, and that it is accessible to all Australians.”

Telstra has supported the NATSIAA as Principal Sponsor since 1992.

Telstra Chief Executive Officer, Andrew Penn, congratulated the winners and the Museum and Art Gallery of Northern Territory on another outstanding exhibition.

“Our partnership with NATSIAA is one of the most prominent sponsorships of Indigenous art in the country, and we’re incredibly proud to be connecting Australians with yet another brilliant exhibition of artworks from all over the nation,” said Mr Penn.

“For 24 years we have been committed to giving Indigenous art the national recognition that it warrants through NATSIAA. The standard of work continues to impress us, with this year being no exception.”

Telstra has introduced two major technological enhancements to the NATSIAA experience this year; an immersive new in-gallery audio guide system featuring the voice talent of esteemed art curator and writer Hetti Perkins; and an all-new interactive website to help connect more Australians with Indigenous art.

Australians are encouraged to vote for their favourite artwork in the People’s Choice Award by visiting Telstra.com/NATSIAA.

The Telstra NATSIAA is also supported by the Northern Territory Government and the Australia Council for the Arts.

CATEGORY WINNERS:

 The Telstra General Painting Award is awarded to Betty Kuntiwa Pumani from Mimili Community in South Australia for her work Antara (Maku Dreaming). “The intricacy of the mark making in this work is very commanding,” the judges said.

 The Telstra Bark Painting Award is awarded to Nonggirrnga Marawili from Yirrkala in the Northern Territory for her work Lightning in the Rock. This work shows the lightning’s sacred power, as it hits the sea spray rising from the rock. “This work has a powerful presence with an imposing scale,” the judges said.

The Telstra Work on Paper is awarded to Robert Fielding from Mimili Community in South Australia for his work Milkali Kutju, which means ‘One Blood’ in Pitjantjatjara. The work responds to the high levels of racism Robert experienced growing up in Port Augusta. It’s a “strong statement about cultural identity,” the judging panel said.

The Wandjuk Marika Memorial Three-Dimensional Award is awarded to Rhonda Sharpe from Larapinta Town Camp in Alice Springs for her work Rhonda. The sculpture incorporates wool, cotton and feathers. While seemingly playful, the judges described it as an “extremely brave and honest work that talks about personal conflict”.

The Telstra Youth Award is awarded to 23 year-old Josh Muir for his work Buninyong. This digital print captures a history of Buninyong, a town located just outside of Ballarat. The Telstra Youth Award was introduced in 2014 for artists aged 18 to 25 years.

All category winners receive $5,000. Highly commended artists are listed at www.magnt.net.au or Telstra.com/NATSIAA.  

The 32nd Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award exhibition is on at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory until Sunday 1 November 2015.

To obtain images or for any further information contact Caddie Brain, Digital and Communications Manager at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory on 08 8999 8207 or at caddie.brain@nt.gov.au.