A major blockbuster exhibition of Indigenous art works in Canberra has been postponed indefinitely, while a review into the works continues.
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The National Gallery of Australia had announced it would stop promoting Ngura Pulka - Epic Country and commissioned a review in April, after questions arose as to whether non-Indigenous artists played a role in painting parts of the works.
The exhibition, originally due to open this week, had been promoted as "one of the largest and most significant First Nations community-driven art projects to have ever been developed".
The report into the works' authorship was due to be handed down on May 31, but the gallery announced on Wednesday it would postpone the show "based on the independent review panel requiring more time to fully complete their work, and the decision of the Australian, South Australian and Northern Territory governments to undertake a South Australian-led review, with the support of the Federal Government".
The review is to examine whether the exhibit was "made under the creative control of the artists to whom they are attributed".
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It also aims to assess "the scope and extent (if any)" of contributions made by non-Indigenous studio assistants and managers at the APY Art Centre Collective in South Australia.
The review will "determine whether the paintings can properly be described as having been made under the creative control of the persons named as the artists," the gallery said in April.
The artworks slated for the exhibition have been attributed to Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara artists, who live in remote South Australia.
But an article by The Australian newspaper questioned the ownership of the artworks; the APY Art Centre Collective denied any accusations staff meddled with paintings.
A 2022 productivity commission report found that two-thirds of Indigenous artwork was fake, but gallery director Nick Mitzevich maintained in April the NGA review would not address the ethics of the First Nations art market.
"We understand and appreciate that many issues surrounding the broader ethics and workings of the First Nations art market have been raised," he said.
"Like other stakeholders of the First Nations art market, we are supportive of building an improved understanding of the ethical and cultural issues at play.
"These are big cultural, artistic, and economic issues, and we are happy to be part of the conversation, but the National Gallery is not an arbitral body.
"At this point, our focus is ensuring the welfare and safety of artists and seeking independent and expert assistance to assess the provenance of the 28 works on loan to the National Gallery for Ngura Pulka."
The gallery did not provide a timeline for the exhibition's postponement.
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Sally Pryor
As features editor at The Canberra Times, I love telling people things they didn't know - or even things they've always known - about the city we live in.
As features editor at The Canberra Times, I love telling people things they didn't know - or even things they've always known - about the city we live in.
