Our Mob Art Exhibition

The Hon. I. PNEVMATIKOS (14:57): My question is to the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs. Will the minister inform the chamber about the recent Our Mob art exhibition?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector) (14:58): I thank the honourable member for her question. Last month, I had the pleasure of attending the Our Mob art exhibition along with the Minister for Arts, the member for Enfield, the Hon. Andrea Michaels, at the Festival Theatre for a celebration of art by a number of South Australian Aboriginal artists.

Our Mob began in 2006 and demonstrates the power of art in bringing people together and provides First Nations artists from all over South Australia with the opportunity to showcase their art and culture at South Australia's premier arts facility. Our Mob is held in the spirit of reconciliation to demonstrate how art can bring people together in harmony with a common goal, and that was certainly felt on the night of the exhibition.

Last year, for the first time the Our Mob exhibition incorporated Our Young Mob: Art by Aboriginal Artists 18 Years and Under and has further grown from its initial scope in 2006 to include Our Words and Our Stories. Our Stories this year focused on Dreaming stories for children and invited attendees to take a seat around the campfire and hear stories from local storytellers. Our Words was an exciting initiative in its second year. This year was curated by Ngarrindjeri and Kaurna artist and curator Dominic Guerrera. It was an opportunity for all to listen and learn from one another in a candid discussion and sharing of personal stories.

I certainly look forward to seeing these initiatives again in the coming years, as well as the continued expansion of the Our Mob exhibition. I would like to acknowledge the team of people who made this year's event possible and have been invested in growing it from the beginning, in particular Adelaide Festival Centre CEO and artistic director, Douglas Gautier, and the chair of the Adelaide Festival Centre Foundation, Miranda Starke. I also wish to acknowledge Adnyamathanha woman, Celia Coulthard, for her role as the creative producer of this ongoing program at the Festival Centre.

This year's viewing and awards ceremony showcased some incredibly intricate works that told very powerful stories and engaged the public with strong themes of reconciliation and intercultural understanding.

I would like to congratulate all artists on the fantastic exhibition and a special acknowledgement of the winners who were announced on the evening—Temaana Sanderson-Bromley, who won the Don Dunstan Foundation Our Mob Emerging Artist Prize; Kat Bell, who won the Trevor Nickolls Art Prize for Our Mob; Sherrie Jones, who won the Country Arts SA Regional Our Mob Professional Development Opportunity; Zachary O’Donnell, who won Our Young Mob Award; and Macinta Fowler, who won the Trevor Nickolls Art Prize for Our Young Mob. It was wonderful to see so many, particularly, young and emerging South Australian Aboriginal artists telling their stories and showcasing their culture.