2023 Gab Titui Indigenous Art Award Winner + Category Winners

Winner | Ngagalaig - Thomas Pedro

Runner-Up | Four Winds of Zenadth Kes - Harry Nona

 Best 2D Work | Garthaw Mineral - Matilda Nona

 Best 3D Work | Kazi Warul Uomaraik - James Ahmat Snr

 Best Craft Work | Jelly Fish Basket - Paula Savage

 Best Contemporary Jewellery Work | Sugu Dhmurr - Rosaline Thomsana

 Best Secondary Student Work | Life - Rodney Mabo

 National Museum of Australia History Through Art Award | Old T.I My Beautiful Home - Nola Ward Page

 National Museum of Australia History Through Art Award – Secondary Student Work | The Fallen - Mawai Whap

 

About the Award

The Gab Titui Indigenous Art Award  (GTIAA) was established by the Torres Strait Regional Authority in 2008 as an initiative to gather a thorough representation of works being created in the remote communities of the Torres Strait and Northern Peninsula Area regions.

Since its inception, the Award has had the support of the National Museum of Australia, and welcomed some of the nation’s leading Indigenous curators to participate in the judging process.

After 13 successful years of hosting the annual Award celebrations, a recent artist survey conducted by the TSRA Culture, Art and Heritage Programme identified the need for a change in favour of the award transitioning to a biennial event. 

However, COVID postponed the event. Hence, 2023 will be the GTIAA’s 14th celebrations.

All works entered into the exhibition are professionally photographed and published in an exhibition catalogue distributed nationally. They are also eligible to take out the major prize of Gab Titui Indigenous Art Award winner.

The 2023 Award exhibition opened on 2 November 2023, with all works on display until Saturday 16 December 2023.

TSRA Chair Foreword

The Gab Titui Indigenous Art Awards hold profound significance, serving as a testament to the exceptional creative talent that permeates our beloved region. As we navigate the intricate realm of art and culture, we are reminded of the transformative power of artistic expression, its ability to transcend boundaries, and its role in shaping our collective cultural identity.

The 2023 GTIAA reaffirms the TSRA’s steadfast commitment to promoting and preserving Torres Strait Islander art and culture. By providing a platform for our artists to showcase their exceptional works, we honour their invaluable contributions to the maintenance of cultural heritage and acknowledge the enduring legacy they leave behind.

Best of luck to all entrants in the 2023 Gab Titui Indigenous Art Awards.

Mr Napau Pedro Stephen (AM)

Chairperson, Torres Strait Regional Authority

 

 

About The Guest Judge: Avril Quaill

As a curator Avril Quaill has held significant curatorial positions with the National Gallery of Australia and the Queensland Art Gallery. She holds a Bachelor of Visual Arts from Sydney College of the Arts, University of Sydney. 

Avril is a Nunukul woman whose ancestral island is Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Is) with clan associations to the Goenpul and Nuigi people of Moreton Bay (Quandamooka) islands, Brisbane. Avril is a Founding Member of the Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Co-operative in Sydney which established in 1987 which today operates out of its own gallery premises in the inner west suburb of Leichhardt.

Of note is her work as Principal Project Officer with the Queensland Indigenous Arts Marketing and Export Agency (QIAMEA) in the Queensland Department of State Development and Trade which is credited for raising the profile of Queensland Indigenous artists in national and international markets. QIAMEA, led by an all-Indigenous Board, was the catalyst for the state government’s Backing Indigenous Arts initiative which today supports fifteen Indigenous Art Centres across Far North Queensland.

In 2018 she curated Across Country: Indigenous work from the Collection, for the Gold Coast’s Home of the Arts (HOTA) - one of the largest collections of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art in regional Australia – representing the first significant appraisal of HOTA’s First Nations collection and a featured exhibition during the 2018 Commonwealth Games. 

Avril has served on significant committees including Australia’s National Cultural Heritage Committee, and as a Member of the Board of Trustees of the Queensland Art Gallery/Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA) and was awarded the QAGOMA Medal in 2021.    

Avril’s current position is with the Queensland Museum Network (QMN) in a newly created role as Principal, First Nations Engagement working closely with the QMN CEO and leadership team to progress the First Nations Engagement and Employment Strategy through the Museum’s Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan.