OUR MOB Aboriginal art exhibition returns to Adelaide Festival Centre
Prestigious annual exhibition of South Australian Aboriginal art OUR MOB will return to Adelaide Festival Centre from 6 August to 24 September.
This year’s awards include the new A$2000 Trevor Nickolls Art Prize and the renowned A$5000 Don Dunstan Foundation OUR MOB Emerging Artist Prize. The exhibition in Adelaide Festival Centre’s Artspace Gallery will also feature a youth equivalent, OUR YOUNG MOB.
Since 2006, OUR MOB: Art by South Australian Aboriginal Artists has provided a platform for contemporary First Nations artists to share their stories, ideas and art with audiences. Presented by Adelaide Festival Centre, the annual exhibition showcases the diversity and depth of works created by First Nations artists across South Australia.
While Adelaide Festival Centre was unable to proceed with an in-person exhibition last year, Celebrating OUR MOB 2020 saw it present an online compilation of the significant First Nations artworks it has acquired from previous OUR MOB exhibitions for its Works of Art Collection.
Previous OUR MOB award winner Tony Wilson at work
Adelaide Festival Centre Senior Exhibitions Curator Charissa Davies: “After last year’s digital showcase reflecting on works from previous exhibitions, we’re very excited to bring OUR MOB back to Adelaide Festival Centre in 2021. We can’t wait to see what artists have been creating during the past two years, and we look forward to celebrating the power of Aboriginal art and culture.”
OUR MOB is the culmination of artistic activities throughout the state that bring Aboriginal artists together in a unique and outstanding exhibition of Aboriginal art across a diverse range of media.
The exhibition is held in the spirit of reconciliation to demonstrate the power of art in bringing together diverse peoples in harmony with a common goal.
The Break of Dawn by Beaver Lennon
Complementing OUR MOB in 2021 are two new events in the Dunstan Playhouse on 7 Aug – OUR WORDS and OUR STORIES.
OUR WORDS will feature a series of live panels from First Nations writers as they discuss a wide range of topics including what it means to be a First Nations voice within the Australian literary landscape.
First Nations storytellers will keep OUR STORIES audiences spellbound as they share their culture in an immersive campfire-style setting. An illustration workshop with illustrator, designer and proud Yorta Yorta woman Karen Briggs will follow the performance.
OUR WORDS and OUR STORIES Creative Producer Celia Coulthard: “For thousands of years, the First Nations People of Australia have travelled great distances to gather and share knowledge. These exciting new live events will provide opportunities to reconnect communities and celebrate the ongoing achievements of our writers, poets and storytellers.”
Dominic Guerrera
The new events follow the success of digital iterations in 2020 including online readings from First Nations poets such as Alexis West, Courtney Hebberman and Dominic Guerrera.
First Nations storytellers Aunty Stephanie Gollan, Uncle Mickey Kumatpi O’Brien and Ema Bovoro also helped provide digital content presented by Adelaide Festival Centre last year.
Uncle Mickey Kumatpi O’Brien, Aunty Stephanie Gollan and Ema Bovoro