MELBOURNE (AUSTRALIA) – Indigenous artist Vincent Namatjira won Australia’s most prestigious art prize on Friday. This is the first time an Aboriginal painter became the winner of portraiture competition since its was first brought forth 99 years ago.
Namatjira, 37, was awarded this year’s A$100,000 ($70,620) Archibald Prize. His painting was that of Indigenous footballer Adam Goodes and was titled “Stand strong for who you are”, the Art Gallery of New South Wales said.
Goodes, a standout player for the Australian Football League (AFL) for nearly two decades, called it quits from the sport and his Sydney Swans club in 2015. He had to take this drastic step after league management took some time to raise their voice against constant booing by crowds terming it as racist. The league and its 18 clubs expressed apology for the same last year.
A documentary named “The Final Quarter” featuring Adam’s final season in the AFL, had moved Namatjira deeply.
Namatjira, who is a member of the Western Arrernte community from central Australia, said, “My guts were churning as I relived Adam’s experiences of relentless racism on and off the field.”
He said, “We share some similar stories and experiences – of disconnection from culture, language and Country, and the constant pressures of being an Aboriginal man in this country.”
Australia has seen a revival when it comes to Indigenous empowerment following the global Black Lives Matter movement and the destruction of sacred Aboriginal rockshelters by miner Rio Tinto.
Namatjira is the great-grandson of the watercolour artist Albert Namatjira, whose landscapes made a mark among the most prominent paintings etched during his generation.