Contemporary Aboriginal Art on Display at Gallery

The best contemporary Aboriginal art from across Australia has come to the Shepparton Art Gallery in a new exhibition titled “Places that name us – RAKA Award: Contemporary Indigenous Visual Arts #3”.

Ms Leanne Willis, Shepparton Art Gallery Director, said the exhibition displays new works by thirteen outstanding contemporary Aboriginal artists, all short-listed for the prestigious Kate Challis RAKA Award. 

“Indigenous artists from across Australia have presented works in a variety of styles, including bark and canvas paintings, photography, prints, drawing and sculpture,” Ms Willis said.

“What results is an exhibition of a carefully selected cross-section of the very best contemporary Aboriginal art.”

The exhibition includes contemporary expressions of traditional culture and ancestral stories from Arnhem Land and the Central Desert. 

Several works explore the political and social ramifications of displacement, while others give a unique insight into the strength of contemporary Aboriginal culture in the face of anthropological and political stereotyping. 

“Places That Name Us – RAKA Award: Contemporary Indigenous Visual Arts #3” will be on display at the Shepparton Art Gallery until Sunday 13th February. The exhibition is part of a tour to regional Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia.

This touring exhibition is a partnership between National Exhibition Touring Support (NETS) Victoria and The Ian Potter Museum of Art. The tour is supported by the Australia Council for the Arts, Arts Victoria and the Community Support Fund and the National Gallery of Victoria.