Tarnanthi - AAANZ | The Art Association of Australia and New Zealand

Publication Details Paperback, 272 pages, 285 x 240 mm, 172 full-colour illustrations. ISBN 978-1-921668-49-4

Author and/or Editor name/s Nici Cumpston and individual project authors. Edited by Barry Patton

Author and/or Editor bio/s Nici Cumpston, Artistic Director, Tarnanthi, Art Gallery of South Australia

Year of Publication 2021

Publisher Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide

Abstract The biennial Tarnanthi Festival of Contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art, presented by the Art Gallery of South Australia (AGSA), showcases original and leading-edge art by First Nations artists. The 2021 Festival encompassed a major exhibition at AGSA and more than two dozen smaller exhibitions at partner venues across Adelaide and South Australia. All projects were led by their First Nations artists, or occasionally by a First Nations curator in collaboration with the artists. At all times, artists remained in control of their projects.

In keeping with this artist-led approach, the Tarnanthi 2021 catalogue comprises original essays about Festival projects written by the artists themselves, sometimes in language (with English translation from a skilled translator known to the artist); or by a writer, usually of First Nations descent, collaborating with the artist/s. Editing took a light touch, and suggested changes were negotiated and approved by the artist/author, ensuring the authenticity of their voices.
The catalogue also provides original information about First Nations art projects that typically were new and unseen, often created specifically for Tarnanthi. Many essays involve artists as cultural leaders sharing aspects of traditional stories and knowledge. All involve artists explicating, in their terms, their art, ideas, aims and motivations. Although written for a general readership, the catalogue represents a singular source of primary material for scholars in art history, history, natural sciences and other fields.

The catalogue is thus an artists-led account of artist-led projects which forms an outstanding resource for understanding leading-edge First Nations art.