āWE DONāT NEED ANY MORE heroic portraits of royals and colonial figures,ā writes Vincent Namatjira in the pages of his eponymous monograph. āThat mob were born into wealth, power and privilege, so I feel like itās fair enough to make fun of their stuffy uniforms and their outdated traditions… even their teeth.ā
You can imagine Vincent Namatjira penning these words with a twinkle in his eye. The paintbrush may be his weaponāa feather sword he wields to subvert the colonial narratives that have marginalised his people for centuries. Yet the sense of wit and candour the artist renders his oppressors with is, quite simply, unmatched. Take Charles on Country. Superimposed against the sunburnt soil and rocky outcrops of Western Aranda country, where Namatjira was born, the King looks about as out of place as an emu on the grounds of Buckingham Palace, a destination Namatjira is hoping for an invitation to visit.
āIām not just hoping, hey, Iām actually being serious,ā he clarifies over Zoom from his home in Indulkana, in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY lands) in South Australia. āI do want to go there, to put myself in the position where I can do my painting live.ā
Charles on Country, 2022, is one of 13 new paintings that will appear in āDesert Songsā, an exhibition held by Yavuz Gallery in Sydney this month, and one of hundreds of works that appear in the first major monograph on the artist.
That these two milestones will coincide with the opening of āVincent Namatjira: Australia in colourā, a major survey that will travel from the Art Gallery of South Australia to the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra in early 2024, is no coincidence. Namatjira has been one of our most celebrated painters for years. The great-grandson of Albert Namatjira, he became the first Indigenous artist to win the Archibald Prize in 2020, the same year he was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for his contribution to First Nations visual arts.
But itās impossible to ignore the chord his observational work is striking with this particular moment in history.
Can Yavuz, the founder and director of Yavuz Gallery, says the recognition is a testament to Namatjiraās āenduring engagement with some of the most significant issues of our timeā.
āVincent is not only one of Australiaās most important painters, but also a respected storyteller and a force for truth,ā says the gallerist. Speaking to Esquire in the weeks leading up to the Voice to Parliament referendum, Yavuz points out that through āaddressing sovereignty and recognition, his works are particularly galvanising as the nation prepares to decide on enshrining a Voice to Parliament.ā
Indeed, Namatjiraās ongoing exploration of power and sovereignty feels especially potent in the current political and cultural climate. But the relevancy of his work is boundless; the legacy heās proud to be continuing [from great-grandfather,
Albert is one of Australiaās most profound. āAlbertās story is an important reminder of the pressures and pitfalls of being a successful Aboriginal person in this country,ā writes Namatjira in the monograph. āHe made his mark on the world through his art and was one of the first Aboriginal people to really be noticed and acknowledged by non- Indigenous Australians… He found his own path with watercolour landscapes and thatās what made me determined to find my own way too.
āBut a youngfella like me doesnāt want to make traditional paintings,ā he adds, that same proverbial twinkle in his eye. āThe canvas is a setting where I can combine the past, present and possible futuresā.
Days before the opening of Desert Songs, we ask Namatjira about one āpossible futureā heās inspired by now.
āJust being famous,ā he says. āJust being one of the most famous emerging artists in Australia.ā Heās well on his way.
Desert Songs is on show at Yavuz Gallery until October 28; Vincent Namatjira, the monograph, is published with the exhibition Vincent Namatjira: Australia in colour, at the Art Gallery of South Australia, travelling to the National Gallery of Australia in 2024. Vincent Namatjira is represented by Yavuz Gallery.
This story appears in the October/November 2023 print issue of Esquire Australia. Available at all good newsagents. Subscribe online here.
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