ProppaNOW

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proppaNOW is an arts collective for Indigenous Australian artists in Queensland. Aiming to counter cultural stereotypes and give a voice to urban artists, the collective has mounted several exhibitions around the country. The collective was founded by Richard Bell, Jennifer Herd and Vernon Ah Kee in 2003 and formalised in 2004.

History and mission[edit]

The collective was first conceived in Brisbane in 1997.[1] At its initial meeting, proppaNOW proposed to form as a group of Aboriginal Australian artists who would support each other's work and "change ideas that people had about what Aboriginal art is and what it should be".[2] The trigger to formalise the collective came in March 2004 soon after Queensland's Premier, Peter Beattie, established QIAMEA (Queensland Indigenous Artists Marketing Export Agency) to promote and market Queensland Indigenous art. The artists were concerned that QIAMEA's focus was initially directed towards the remote regions of Queensland such as Mornington Island, Aurukun and Lockhart River, thus reinforcing cultural stereotypes.[1]

The collective has since evolved a mission to "give urban-based Aboriginal artists a voice...[to] reinforce that Aboriginal Australia is a living culture that has evolved over time".[1]

In June 2019, proppaNOW presented an open day at the Institute of Modern Art in Brisbane.[3]

An exhibition entitled OCCURRENT AFFAIR: proppaNOW was originally scheduled for 2019, but was rescheduled (due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia) to run 13 February – 19 June 2021 at the University of Queensland Art Museum, described as a major exhibition of the artists' work "after a five-year hiatus to focus on their individual careers". The title of the exhibition references the Australian TV show A Current Affair, which is known for its sensationalist style and "derogatory representations of certain low socio-economic and minority groups".[4][5][6]

Members[edit]

Founding members were Richard Bell, Jennifer Herd, Joshua Herd and Vernon Ah Kee.[2]

Members of the collective as of February 2020 are Bell, Herd, Ah Kee, Tony Albert, Gordon Hookey, Laurie Nilsen and Megan Cope.[4]

Recognition[edit]

proppaNOW members Richard Bell, Jennifer Herd, Vernon Ah Kee, Gordon Hookey and Laurie Nilsen have all been interviewed by the State Library of Queensland for the James C. Sourris AM Collection. In the interviews each artist talks about their life, their art and their inspirations.[7]

In October 2022 it was announced that the collective had won the Jane Lombard Prize for Art and Social Justice for 2022–2024, by a unanimous decision of the jury, which commented: "...[proppaNOW] has broken with expectations of what is proper ('proppa') in Aboriginal art; created a new sovereign space for First Nations artists internationally outside colonial stereotypes, desires for authenticity, and capitalist capitulations; and opened new political imaginaries".[8]

Exhibitions[edit]

The collective has mounted a number of exhibitions, starting with one in Auckland, New Zealand, in 2005. Since then, many have been based in Queensland, but several have toured the country or mounted in other locations. Some recent exhibitions include:[6]

2012
2013
2014
2015
2024

Commissions[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Neale, Margo (March 2010). "Learning to be proppa : Aboriginal artists collective ProppaNOW". Artlink Magazine. Retrieved 11 March 2018.
  2. ^ a b "proppaNOW Artist Collective". Scanlines. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
  3. ^ Brisbane, Institute of Modern Art (8 June 2019). "proppaNOW Open Day". Institute of Modern Art. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  4. ^ a b Lewis James Media (12 December 2019). "OCCURRENT AFFAIR: proppaNOW". University of Queensland Art Museum. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  5. ^ "OCCURRENT AFFAIR: proppaNOW". University of Queensland Art Museum. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
  6. ^ a b "About Us". proppaNOW. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  7. ^ "James C Sourris AM Collection". State Library of Queensland. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
  8. ^ "Proppa Prize Winners". Aboriginal Art Directory. 27 October 2022. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  9. ^ "proppaNOw |Touchy Fearly". glass central canberra. 22 July 2012. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
  10. ^ "Existence Resistance Proppanow in Bega". Canberra Contemporary Art Space. 15 July 2012. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
  11. ^ "AQ Monthly September 2012". ANTAR. 27 August 2012. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
  12. ^ Hayman, Amanda (10 July 2012). "proppaNOW". Indigenous Voices. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
  13. ^ "proppaNOW". State Library Of Queensland. 10 July 2012. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  14. ^ a b "Exhibition History". proppaNOW. 2013. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
  15. ^ "Past Exhibitions: Insurgence". Museum of Australian Democracy. October 2013. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
  16. ^ "proppaNOW the black line". Bett Gallery. 2014. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
  17. ^ Watego, Leesa; Ah Kee, Vernon (9 August 2015). "Dark+Disturbing features Gordon Hookey at Cairns Indigenous Art Fair 2015". Dark and Disturbing. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  18. ^ "About". Dark and Disturbing. 21 June 2016. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  19. ^ Albert, Tony (2013). "Monument: Yininmadyemi - Thou dids't let fall". City of Sydney, Australia. Archived from the original on 28 June 2014. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
  20. ^ "Grandfather's war story inspires Aboriginal artwork". City of Sydney Media Centre. 8 November 2013. Retrieved 16 June 2014.

External links[edit]

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