Elevating Indigenous Voices: The People and Places that Showcased Indigenous Art in 2022

Despite the small amount of Indigenous art being collected and properly contextualized by cultural institutions, public interest in this art form is on the rise. This is due in part to the efforts of specialized curators of Indigenous art at major museums and networks of artists and independent curators outside these institutions. In 2022, these individuals and organizations worked to create opportunities for Indigenous art to be exhibited at museums, educational institutions, and international exhibitions, helping to raise its profile and value. However, Indigenous art still faces challenges in the art market, with many works being undervalued and overlooked due to inequitable dynamics.

Sydney Modern Museum Recognises Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art

Image Source: The Guardian

Australia’s recognition of Indigenous artists has historically been inconsistent, but the opening of the Sydney Modern, the new building of the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney, has marked a new era for representation in one of the country’s most prestigious institutions. The gallery’s sole permanent exhibition space, the Yiribana Gallery, exclusively showcases art by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The Sydney Modern boasts 75,000 square feet of exhibition space, including temporary exhibition spaces, nearly double that of the Art Gallery of NSW’s previous exhibition space. To celebrate its opening, the gallery commissioned large-scale works by nine artists, including Lorraine Connelly-Northey, Karla Dickens, and Jonathan Jones. According to senior curator Cara Pinchbeck, projects like these are helping to “completely embed” Indigenous Australian art “within all conversations about Australian art” and give it a “central place.”

Breaking Boundaries: Sámi Artists Make History at the Venice Biennale

Image Source: The Guardian

The 2022 edition of the Venice Biennale, a prestigious contemporary art exhibition, made history when the Nordic Pavilion, representing Norway, Sweden, and Finland, ceded its stage to three Sámi artists: Pauliina Feodoroff, Máret Ánne Sara, and Anders Sunna. This marked the first time that an all-Sámi group of artists represented Scandinavia. The Sámi, Europe’s only Indigenous people, number approximately 100,000 and inhabit northern Norway, Finland, Sweden, and Russia’s Kola Peninsula. They have faced colonization, land dispossession, and the impacts of climate change. The Sámi have their own parliaments and have had some of their rights recognized by Scandinavian states, but they still face racism and do not have full agency over their own land. Each of the three artists brought these issues to the Venice Biennale through their work, which included a performance project, a monumental painting installation, and sculptures made from reindeer stomachs. Commissioner and co-curator Katya García-Antón described the presentation as “a historic moment of decolonization” and “a very strong story about the ongoing struggles that Sámi society is experiencing today.” The representation of Indigenous artists at the Venice Biennale has increased in recent years, but there is still room for growth. Past editions have featured Indigenous artists and collectives from Canada, New Zealand, and Australia.

Pioneering Indigenous Studies: Bard College Establishes First-Ever Center

Image Source: Condé Nast Traveler

In September, Bard College in New York announced a “transformational” endowment gift from the Gochman Family Foundation that will help establish a Center for Indigenous Studies, the first of its kind. The gift also supported the appointment of Bard’s first Indigenous Curatorial Fellow. The American Studies Program at Bard will be renamed American and Indigenous Studies to “more fully reflect continental history,” and the school has partnered with Forge Project to develop dedicated programming, select visiting scholars and acquisitions for the library and archives, and curate an exhibition in 2023. Bard has also promised to renew efforts to reduce barriers for Indigenous students in higher education, offering undergraduate and graduate scholarship funds to cover tuition, fees, materials, and the cost of living for candidates. The school will also establish a chair for a distinguished scholar in the new Indigenous Studies center, supported by a $50 million endowment created by the Gochman Family Foundation’s $25 million gift and an additional $25 million matching commitment from George Soros and the Open Society Foundations as part of Bard’s endowment drive.

Building Bridges: A Landmark Collection of Indigenous Art on Loan

Image Source: Forge Project

In September, Bard College in New York announced a “transformational” endowment gift from the Gochman Family Foundation that will help establish a Center for Indigenous Studies, the first of its kind. The gift also supported the appointment of Bard’s first Indigenous Curatorial Fellow. The American Studies Program at Bard will be renamed American and Indigenous Studies to “more fully reflect continental history,” and the school has partnered with Forge Project to develop dedicated programming, select visiting scholars and acquisitions for the library and archives, and curate an exhibition in 2023. Bard has also promised to renew efforts to reduce barriers for Indigenous students in higher education, offering undergraduate and graduate scholarship funds to cover tuition, fees, materials, and the cost of living for candidates. The school will also establish a chair for a distinguished scholar in the new Indigenous Studies center, supported by a $50 million endowment created by the Gochman Family Foundation’s $25 million gift and an additional $25 million matching commitment from George Soros and the Open Society Foundations as part of Bard’s endowment drive.