First Nations Art Takes Centre Stage in Newcastle Art Gallery

Kinyingarra Guwinyanba (Off Country) 2022The expanded Newcastle Art Gallery will soon become home to a significant piece of First Nations art, following the acquisition of a major work by internationally renowned Quandamooka artist Megan Cope. This culturally important addition, titled Kinyingarra Guwinyanba (Off Country), was generously donated by the Newcastle Art Gallery Foundation and is expected to draw international attention.

The artwork consists of 44 cypress pine poles, each approximately two metres in length, adorned with a bouquet of rock oyster shells. These poles, collected by Cope and her Quandamooka community collaborators from Minjerribah (Stradbroke Island), will be suspended within the Gallery’s new central atrium, visible from both the ground and first floors.

Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes expressed gratitude to the Newcastle Art Gallery Foundation for the donation, emphasising its significance in celebrating and honouring First Nations culture.

“Newcastle Art Gallery is committed to recognising the traditions of our First Nations communities, and it’s fitting that such an important work will be showcased at the heart of our expanded Gallery,” Cr Nelmes said. “Megan Cope’s work has been exhibited globally, and we’re thrilled to become the custodian of her world-renowned creativity through this generous gift.”

Newcastle Art Gallery Foundation Chair Suzie Galwey echoed these sentiments, highlighting the pride in adding Cope’s work to the Gallery’s nationally acclaimed collection. The donation also supports the Foundation’s $13-million fundraising goal for the Gallery’s expansion.

“Kinyingarra Guwinyanba represents a continuation of Cope’s exploration of the impact of colonial industries on Aboriginal lands and seas, particularly focusing on the devastation of Aboriginal middens and oyster reefs in Quandamooka Sea Country,” Galwey said. The project, which began in 2022, involves attaching empty oyster shells to marine-resistant poles, which are then planted in intertidal zones to help propagate new oyster reefs.

Cope described the work as a “living, generative land and sea artwork” that aims to heal colonised country through restorative and ancestral processes. She hopes the suspended sculpture in the Gallery will connect viewers with both the land and sea, evoking a sense of buoyancy and dual perspective.

Newcastle Art Gallery Director Lauretta Morton OAM expressed excitement about the upcoming installation and announced that Cope will return to Newcastle later this month as part of the City of Newcastle’s New Annual festival. Cope will collaborate with the Gallery on Ngumpi Kinyingarra Oyster House, a site-specific project designed with the University of Newcastle’s Architecture students. This participatory project will be held at Honeysuckle Marina from 27 September to 6 October.

“It’s an honour to acquire such an incredible work into our Gallery’s collection and to partner with Megan on a project that celebrates local oysters, collaboration, and environmental stewardship,” Morton said. “The installation of Kinyingarra Guwinyanba in the central atrium underscores the Gallery’s commitment to supporting First Nations artists and works of significant scale.”

The Newcastle Art Gallery expansion is supported by $5 million from the Australian Government and $5 million from the New South Wales Government, alongside $12 million raised by the Newcastle Art Gallery Foundation. The Foundation is currently seeking an additional $1 million through a public fundraising campaign to bring this cultural asset to completion.