South Australian government to spearhead investigation into Indigenous art scandal

The South Australian government will spearhead an investigation into allegations of interference in Indigenous artworks, as some Territory arts centres experience a 40 per cent drop in sales.

The South Australian government will spearhead an investigation into allegations of white interference in Indigenous artwork after the NT Arts Minister raised concerns the issue was directly impacting Aboriginal Territorians’ livelihoods.

It comes after South Australian Arts Minister Andrea Michaels met with Federal Arts Minister Tony Burke and Territory counterpart Chansey Paech on Monday.

The ministers discussed allegations regarding the APY Arts Centre Collective which were unearthed in an investigation by The Australian newspaper.

The investigation showed footage of a non-Indigenous artist allegedly interfering with artwork at Tjala Art Centre in South Australia.

In the wake of the scandal, Mr Paech said Indigenous artists in the Territory had experienced a decrease in sales of up to 40 per cent since the footage aired.

South Australian Arts Minister Andrea Michaels said the SA government would work closely with the Aṉangu people in conducting the review.

Ms Michaels said the review into the organisation would be led by the South Australian government, with joint funding from the commonwealth government and the support of the NT government.

“We will work closely with the Aṉangu people including those working in the Adelaide Studio as the review gets underway,” she said.

“The allegations that have surfaced are concerning and all three governments are determined to protect the integrity of First Nations art.

“We are committed to supporting First Nations artists to share their art with the world and ensuring respect for their culture and stories is incredibly important.”

She said the terms of reference were still being worked through, and would be announced as soon as possible.

Arts Minister calls for investigation into Indigenous art scandal

Arts Minister Chansey Paech has called for a national investigation into allegations of white interference in Indigenous artworks, saying a failure to thoroughly investigate the issue would impact Aboriginal livelihoods.

Mr Paech said he had written to South Australian Arts Minister Andrea Michaels and federal Arts Minister Tony Burke and had arranged to meet with them after an investigation by The Australian unearthed footage of a non-Indigenous artist interfering with Indigenous artwork.

Mr Paech said while the footage was taken at the Tjala Art Centre in South Australia, Northern Territory artists were suffering as a result.

“Talking to independent artists and community art centres right across the Territory, they’ve noticed a significant decrease since that footage was aired, we’re talking about in some instances a 40 per cent decrease in sales since that footage was aired,” he said.

Mr Paech said to not thoroughly investigate the allegations would directly impact the livelihoods of Indigenous artists in the Northern Territory. Pic: Pema Tamang Pakhrin.

“I travel to remote places on the border, where there are people travelling from South Australia and Western Australia, and they are feeling the impacts of these allegations.”

He emphasised that for some artists, particularly in remote communities, art formed their only source of income, and failing to adequately respond to the issue would directly impact them.

“As the Arts Minister and as an Aboriginal person myself, I understand art is everything to Aboriginal people, it’s our stories, our histories, our expression and it’s also, for a lot of us, our livelihood, it’s our economic livelihood,” he said.

“My call for a national investigation to look into these allegations and any further allegations that arise nationally is not about protecting institutions, this is about Aboriginal livelihoods.”

Arts Minister Tony Burke said he would work with Mr Paech and South Australia Arts Minister Andrea Michaels to get the “best outcome”. Pic: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

He said he hoped a national investigation into the allegations would look into how the government could fund and resource organisations to support Indigenous artists in knowing their rights and how to report alleged interferences.

“It’s about backing community art centre artists so that if things like this alleged activity are happening, they feel empowered to report it and feel comfortable that it will be dealt with in an appropriate way and not swept under the carpet,” he said.

Mr Paech said he had been “overwhelmed” by support from artists and peak bodies both in the Territory and interstate that wanted to see the allegations thoroughly investigated.

“I’m not going quiet on this one … I know I’m not alone in this, just by the sheer amount of support received.”

Federal Arts Minister Tony Burke told The Australian that he would be working with both the South Australian and Northern Territory Ministers to “get the best outcome”.

He said the ministers would meet next week to discuss the investigation.