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2016 Gab Titui Indigenous Art Award

Nancy Kiwat, from Erub Arts, has been named winner of the 9th Gab Titui Indigenous Art Award in opening night celebrations held at Gab Titui on 16 June.

Nancy’s work was judged among 37 entries from across the Torres Strait and Northern Peninsula Area by guest judge Bruce McLean, Curator of Indigenous Australian Art at the Queensland Art Gallery|Gallery of Modern Art, who described it as one of the best human-form ghost-net sculptures he had seen.

Nancy took out the major prize with her large-scale ghost net work, Popa Dabad depicting her ancestor, a tribal chief of the Meuram tribe.

Nancy Kiwat (Erub Arts), Popa Dabad 2016. Winner 2016 Gab Titui Indigenous Art Award.       Laurie Nona (Badu Art Centre), Aykuyk (Food Plant) 2016. Runner-Up 2016 Gab Titui Indigenous Art Award.

This is Nancy’s second consecutive win, after also taking out the major prize in the 2015 Award as the first female Indigenous Art Award winner.

Runner-Up in the 2016 Award went to Laurie Nona of Badu Art Centre whose lino-print on paper, Aykuyk, was described as ‘significant of a strong singular icon, encoding an important cultural message within its body’.

Category winners were announced as:

Vincent Babia (Seisia/Saibai), Best Cultural Artefact for his warup (drum), The Drum of Wakemab;

Andrew Passi Senior (Mer), Best Two-Dimensional Work for his painting, Tag Mauki-Mauki Teter Mauki-Mauki (Do not take what is not yours – Your legs must not trespass);

Racy Oui Pitt (Erub Arts), Best Three-Dimensional Work for her ceramic sculpture, Pellet;

Wasie Tardent (Thursday Island), Best Craft Work for her coconut weaving, My Torres Strait Island Dinner Setting – Turtle and Rice;

Teleo Hope (Thursday Island), Best Secondary Student Work for her etching, Humans Collide with Nature to Create Culture;

Maryann Bourne (Erub), National Museum of Australia History Through Art Award for her ghost net weaving, Au Gem Wali.

For more photos of our opening night celebrations, head to our Facebook page. The 2016 Gab Titui Indigenous Art Award features in the Gab Titui Wabunaw Geth Gallery until 28 July 2016.

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