Overview
- The National Gallery of Australia has opened Ngura Pulka — Epic Country after a three-year delay, showcasing large canvases that mostly measure three by three meters and run through August 23.
- The exhibition was postponed in 2023 after The Australian alleged non-Indigenous staff interfered with APY artists’ paintings, a claim the collective rejects.
- An independent review commissioned by the gallery cleared 28 exhibited works, finding the artists kept effective creative control over their paintings.
- A planned $1.4 million purchase by the gallery was called off after the articles, and the gallery says the paintings will go back to the artists when the show closes.
- The APY Art Centre Collective is suing The Australian and reporter Greg Bearup for $4.4 million, citing lost income, cut government funding and event bans that hit about 500 Anangu artists who rely on art sales.