As part of the landmark Country Road + NGV First Nations Commissions, eight emerging First Nations artists are presenting ambitious new works in the exhibition My Country, which opened 22 March 2024 at The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia. The first and only initiative of its kind, the Country Road + NGV First Nations Commissions is a national, biennial mentorship program and exhibition series that invites an artist from every state and territory to produce a significant new work under the guidance of an esteemed mentor.
A testament to national scope of this initiative and diversity of practices represented, outcomes range from textiles, customary cultural objects and large scale paintings to installations that engage glass making and new modes of fabrication. Invited by the NGV to participate in the commission series, the mentors nominated an emerging artist for the commission opportunity which includes guidance through the conception, creation and delivery of a major work over the year long mentorship.
Working out of Iwantja Arts in Indulkana, South Australia, Alec Baker and Eric Barney have produced two large collaborative paintings, titled Ngura (Country), that are as rich in their hues of red, pink, orange and yellow as they are in their embodiment of sacred stories and customs. Barney is an emerging artist who paints under the cultural mentorship of senior lawman and founding Iwantja Arts artist Baker. The works reflect the beauty of Yankunytjatjara Count...