Australian First Nations art was in the spotlight at Frieze London and Frieze Masters 2024
/
The past few years have seen a remarkable surge in the visibility of Australian First Nations art on the global stage. A record number of First Nations artists took part in this year’s Venice Biennale—and Kamilaroi and Bigambul artist Archie Moore, who represented Australia, took home the event’s top prize. Next year, Tate Modern is hosting a solo show dedicated to Emily Kam Kngwarray, which has been developed in collaboration with the National Gallery of Australia, and the National Gallery of Victoria is touring the largest exhibition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art ever presented internationally around the US and Canada.
These institutional shows have been matched by increased interest in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art in the commercial sector. In 2023, D’Lan Contemporary presented the solo exhibition ‘Emily Kam Kngwarray: Everything’ at Frieze Masters in London, marking the first time an Australian Indigenous artist was shown at the fair. Frieze Masters aims to offer works of art historical significance, while its sister fair, Frieze London, has a contemporary focus. The gallery sold eight of the nine Kngwarray works on offer for a total of US$2.7 million.
This year, D’Lan Contemporary returned to Frieze Masters with a presentation of the revered Gija artist Paddy Bedford, who was known to family, close friends and kin by his traditional name Nyunkuny or his nickname Goowoomji/Kuwumji. Speaking at the event, the gallery’s Founder and Director D’Lan Davidson said that the current market momentum signals a permanent shift in the way Indigenous Australian art is viewed internationally, and that collectors around the world are increasingly drawn to the powerful narratives and deep history of Australian First Nations art.
Bedford’s balanced and sombre compositions draw upon his childhood experiences growing up on a cattle station in the East Kimberley region of Western Australia and capture his people, Country and culture. Like Kngwarray, Bedford began his career later in life, but his work carries the weight of thousands of years of ancestral knowledge.
Situated between ancient Greco-Roman sculptures, Tang Dynasty earthenware figurines and prints by iconic American modernists, Bedford’s paintings were quiet—they did not aggressively vie for viewers’ attention, but they still stood out. Exhibited facing a wall of drawings by household names such as Chagall and Picasso, Bedford’s work exuded confidence, secure in its significance in this international milieu. At the fair, Bedford was, as Davidson put it, “perfectly in place, finally recognised internationally as a master.”
And it is clear that the global art market is responding with keen interest: the gallery sold two works for US$250,000 each, setting a record for the artist, with total sales just over US$1.3 million. Davidson said that collectors today are seeking works that tell strong stories and fill gaps in their understanding of international art histories. This sentiment was echoed by Ursula Sullivan, a Director at Sullivan+Strumpf. The gallery took part for the first time in Frieze London this year with a striking presentation of three internationally acclaimed Australian artists: Gregory Hodge, Lindy Lee and the Yolŋu artist Naminapu Maymuru-White.
Maymuru-White, a senior leader and one of the most revered women in her community, is particularly in the spotlight this year following her inclusion in the 60th Venice Biennale. At Frieze London, her densely patterned and textured bark paintings, which depict the Yolŋu concept of Milŋiyawuy—the intertwined paths of the Milŋiyawuy River and the Milky Way, the Yirritja moiety land of the dead—were featured both in Sullivan+Strumpf’s booth and in an exhibition hosted by the watch brand Breguet. Sullivan noted that all of Maymuru-White’s works were sold before the fair opened to the public, primarily to European buyers new to collecting Indigenous Australian art. The work presented at the Breguet booth, which was made up of 17 bark paintings, was also bought—by Tate Modern.
Davidson said that the surge in institutional interest in First Nations art is driven by a growing need to address the void in international art histories, especially as decolonisation movements reshape public understandings of Indigenous cultures worldwide. Sullivan agreed. “It’s not a fad,” she said. “Indigenous artmaking has existed for tens of thousands of years, and the world is finally ready to accept it. It’s here to stay.” As global art events—both institutional and commercial—continue to feature First Nations artists, it will be fascinating to see how these artists, their communities and their cultures will reshape the art world in the years to come.
Zeta Xu, London
