[Sydney, 25 February 2021] The Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA) has revealed the seventh iteration of the Circular Quay Foyer Wall Commission by renowned Western Arrernte painter Vincent Namatjira.

Namatjira hand-painted directly onto the Museum’s 15-metre-long wall over a two-week period, creating the artist’s largest work to date. The work titled P.P.F. (Past-Present-Future) depicts a group of seven Aboriginal male figures, including a self-portrait, painted on the desert landscape of the artist’s home community of Indulkana in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) region in South Australia.

Each portrait has been painted in Namajtira’s signature-style caricature, and Namatjira has incorporated influential figures, some well-known and others less so, who have been important in the artist’s life. These portraits include former AFL football player and 2014 Australian on the Year, Adam Goodes; land-rights campaigner, Eddie Koiki Mabo; famous bantamweight boxer, Lionel Rose; his great-grandfather, Albert Namatjira; the artist’s late father-in-law and musician, Kunmanara (Jimmy) Pompey; and an Aboriginal stockman who represents male elders from his community.

For the foyer wall commission, the artist has responded directly to the unique dimensions, location, and history of this site, in particular its significance in Australian colonial history as the site of first contact between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and British peoples. As in many of the artist’s works, Namatjira has painted a self-portrait, placing himself standing on the roof of his great-grandfathers Holden ute, holding an Aboriginal flag and pointing towards the Sydney harbour.

MCA Senior Curator of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Collections and Exhibitions, Clothilde Bullen said Namatjira’s painting will be the first thing that many MCA visitors encounter when they come into the Museum. It sends a powerful message given the historical significance of the site, known as Tallawoladah.

“Each figure in this bold new work has their own story of strength and resilience, but the work is also semi-autobiographical – Vincent selecting them specifically to speak about the way in which his story is also the story of so many Aboriginal Australians – one of survival and continued connections to culture. It speaks too about the importance of representation and the ways in which Aboriginal men are valued and seen in the broader community,” added Bullen.

Speaking about the MCA commission, Namatjira commented: “I’m trying to bring my neck of the woods to the city, to the big smoke, for everyone to see. I painted this for the Indigenous people of Australia... I’m proud to be Aboriginal, and to have these Aboriginal male figures in the world makes me happy for our people.”

Image: Vincent Namatjira, P.P.F. (Past-Present-Future), 2021, synthetic polymer paint, commissioned by the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, 2021, supported by Veolia Environmental Services, image courtesy the artist; Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Sydney; and Iwantja Arts, South Australia © the artist, photograph Daniel Boud.

VINCENT NAMATJIRA UNVEILS HIS LARGEST COMMISSION AT THE MCA

Accompanying the Foyer Wall Commission is an audio guide available via the MCA’s online Museum guide, mca.art. Visitors can listen to Namatjira speaking about the seven figures and their significance to the artist’s life. The audio is also interspersed with archival interview recordings provided by the ABC.

Supporting Partner Veolia Environmental Services have been instrumental to the realisation of this project having supported the MCA and specifically the foyer wall commission for the past seven iterations.

Veolia Australia and New Zealand CEO and Managing Director, Richard Kirkman said: “Veolia are delighted to support the seventh iteration of the Foyer Wall Commission by Vincent Namatjira. The commission gives Australian artists a great opportunity to create new and ambitious work and is a great platform for communities to engage with the work of contemporary artists.”

Namatjira is a renowned painter from the community of Indulkana in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) region in South Australia working at Iwantja Arts Centre. In 2020, he won the Archibald Prize at the Art Gallery of New South Wales for his portrait of former footballer Adam Goodes. In 2019, Namatjira was awarded the $100,000 acquisitive Ramsay Prize at the Art Gallery of South Australia and was a finalist in the Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Awards 2017, 2016, 2014, 2013.

Namatjira’s commission is the seventh iteration of the Circular Quay Foyer Wall Commission, this project continues to be supported by Veolia Environmental Services. Previous artists include Helen Eager (2012–2013), Guan Wei (2013–2014), Daniel Boyd (2014–2016), Stephen Bush (2016–17), and Khadim Ali (2017–2018), Gemma Smith (2018–2021).

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For all media enquiries, please contact Stephanie Pirrie: E: stephanie.pirrie@mca.com.au | M: 0430 517 722

Image: Artist Vincent Namatjira with P.P.F. (Past-Present-Future), 2021, commissioned by the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, 2021, supported by Veolia Environmental Services, image courtesy the artist; Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Sydney; and Iwantja Arts, South Australia © the artist, photograph Daniel Boud

VINCENT NAMATJIRA UNVEILS HIS LARGEST COMMISSION AT THE MCA

ADAM GOODES “At the time when I was working out a plan and doing some drawings for the MCA wall I watched the ‘Final Quarter’ documentary about Adam Goodes – I’d always respected Adam as a footballer and a strong, proud Aboriginal man. Watching ‘The Final Quarter’ and seeing the racism that Adam faced reminded me of some hard experiences I had growing up in the foster system – disconnected from culture and country and I experienced a lot of racism and discrimination. It takes a lot of courage to stand up to racism, so I greatly admire Adam for the way he stood up and said ‘enough is enough’.” – Vincent Namatjira

EDDIE MABO “Mabo is such an important figure for land rights for Indigenous people he campaigned and fought for what he believed in. I’ve painted Mabo as a figure for the ongoing battle for Aboriginal Land Rights all over Australia. The old people in Indulkana community where I live were active in the APY Land Rights movement and they still talk about all of the important work they did, like marching in capital cities and meeting with politicians. They feel really proud to have reclaimed ownership of their land.” – Vincent Namatjira

LIONEL ROSE “When I was younger I used to do a bit of boxing training and sparring – for us Aboriginal guys it was a real source of pride to know that we had this true champion, a world title holder. He was an inspiration for us youngfellas whenever we put on the boxing gloves.” – Vincent Namatjira

ALBERT NAMATJIRA “Albert Namatjira is my great-grandfather. When I was growing up, I didn’t know much about this side of my family history. I didn’t know that Albert Namatjira was such an important figure. Once I got older I learned more about my grandfather’s incredible legacy. He made his mark on the world through his art—his paintings were celebrated and he travelled a lot and even met the Queen; but he was also persecuted, taken advantage of and imprisoned. I’m fascinated by the old man’s story and have used my own painting practice to research this part of my family history. My grandfather is a recurring figure in my paintings because I feel his influence as I work—that old man made his own path with watercolour landscapes of his country, and that made me determined to find my own path, and not follow anybody else’s.” – Vincent Namatjira

KUNMANARA (JIMMY) POMPEY “My father-in-law, Kunmanara Pompey passed away last year. He was also an artist—a great figurative painter who painted cowboys, stockmen, and country singers. He was an inspiration for me, when I started out with paintings, he showed me that desert art could be more than dot painting. Before he was a painter, Kunmanara was a stockman and a travelling musician – he loved to play guitar and sing in the art centre, so I’ve painted him here, as a tribute to my partner’s father.” – Vincent Namatjira

INDIGENOUS STOCKMAN/COWBOY “This figure isn’t supposed to be any particular person – but it is like a tribute to the Aboriginal stockmen, like the old men who are now artists working alongside me at Iwantja Arts – Peter Mungkuri and Alec Baker. This Indigenous cowboy is also a reference to the short film we made at Iwantja Arts, NEVER STOP RIDING. A lot of old men worked on stations when they were younger and they have good memories of working on country, working with cattle and horses. They had a lot of hard times back then too, but they really loved working on their country and working with the animals.” – Vincent Namatjira

SELF PORTRAIT “Here, the self-portrait brings the past and the present together, since I’m standing on the roof of my grandfather’s famous green truck – so it’s past and present and then pointing forward is like looking to the future – a strong, hopeful future for Indigenous Australians. The Aboriginal flag for me represents pride, resilience and recognition.” – Vincent Namatjira

For all media enquiries, please contact Stephanie Pirrie:

VINCENT NAMATJIRA UNVEILS HIS LARGEST COMMISSION AT THE MCA