Risky Business: Art and Appropriation – Panel Discussion

 Presented by Berndt Museum and the School of Indigenous Studies, UWA

Join Dr Stephen Gilchrist (Yamatji, School of Indigenous Studies), academic Aurora Milroy (Palyku, Law School), Associate Professor Ali Baker (Mirning, Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Flinders University) and Curator Michael Bonner (Yanyuwa/Jingili, Berndt Museum) as they discuss art and appropriation from an artistic, legal and First Nations perspective.

The panel will draw from the Perth Festival exhibition, Jintulu: People of the Sun. Featuring the work of Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists, Jintulu is a powerful exploration of representation and race relations in post-colonial Australia.

Free, with registration. Light refreshments will be provided.

Biographies

Aurora Milroy is a Palyku woman living and working on Noongar boodja. Her research interests focus on the relationships between Indigenous peoples and governments with a particular focus on public administration, partnerships, Indigenous values and governance, and systems transformation.Aurora holds a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) and Bachelor of Arts (Hons) from the University of Western Australia, and a Masters of Public Policy (Distinction) from the Blavatnik School of Government, Oxford University.

Belonging to the Yamatji people of the Inggarda language group of northwest Western Australia, Dr Stephen Gilchrist is Senior Lecturer in the School of Indigenous Studies at the University of Western Australia. He is a writer and curator who has worked with the Indigenous Australian collections of the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra (2003–05), the British Museum, London (2008), the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne (2005–10), and the Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College (2011–13).
Stephen has curated numerous exhibitions in Australia and the United States and has written extensively on Indigenous Art from Australia. He has taught Indigenous Art in Australia and in the United States. From 2012–16 he was the Australian Studies Visiting Curator at the Harvard Art Museums, Harvard University. He was Deputy Director of the Power Institute and Chair of the Indigenous Advisory Group at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. He works with major Australian and international institutions and contributes to the international dialogues surrounding the scholarship and interpretation of Indigenous art and culture with a focus on Indigenous curation as an expression of sovereignty.

Michael Bonner is curator, filmmaker and archaeologist from the Northern Territory – Yanyuwa on his mother’s side and Jingili on his father’s. He studied archaeology at The University of Western Australia and Flinders University, South Australia. In 2010 he completed a Diploma of Screen Studies at the Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education in the Northern Territory. In 2019, he completed a Graduate Diploma of Screen Studies in Documentary at the prestigious Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS) in Sydney. He is currently curator at the Berndt Museum, UWA and WA Museum Boola Bardip.

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Jintulu: People of the Sun juxtaposes new works by Walmajarri artist Murungkurr Terry Murray, Martu artist Curtis Taylor and Persian South African artist Natalie Scholtz with iconic works from The University of Western Australia’s collections including works by Valerie Takao Binder, Sidney Nolan and Alison Alder.

Presented by the Berndt Museum and Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery as part of the Perth Festival Visual Arts Program, supported by Wesfarmers Arts.

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Please note: in keeping with the University's guidelines, space is limited for this event and registration is required.

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Image: Installation image from opening night, Jintulu: People of the Sun, featuring works by Natalie Scholtz, Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery, 2024, photograph: Rebecca Mansell