Wynne Prize

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY (14:49): My question is to the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs. Will the minister inform the council about the 2024 Wynne Prize and this year's finalists?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector) (14:49): I thank the honourable member for his question in relation to the Wynne Prize for art. The Wynne Prize is Australia's oldest art prize, with the first award being awarded back in 1897. Awarded annually, the Wynne is awarded for the best landscape painting of Australian scenery or sculpture by an Australian artist. The competition is judged by the trustees of the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

Notably, and for the first time, there are more works by Aboriginal artists than non-Aboriginal artists in this year's finalist pool, with 21 works by Aboriginal artists, which is particularly impressive considering there were 738 entries competing for the top prize. In 2023, the Wynne Prize was won by Zaachariaha Fielding, a first-time finalist from the APY lands, for the painting Inma, depicting the sounds and movements of his community in Mimili. Zaachariaha joins Sylvia Ken as another APY artist to be a winner of the Wynne Prize.

The APY lands have produced numerous exceptional artists who have dominated the Australian art scene and awards in recent years, and this year we see eight finalists out of the 41 are from the APY lands or working under APY arts collectively. Very strong congratulations to George Cooley from Umoona Art, Muna Kulyuru, Vincent Namatjira, Rene Sundown, Tiger Yaltangki, Frank Young and Maguku Purka, Robert Fielding, who joins a father and child duo with Zaachariaha Fielding, Naguku Ukariku, who have been nominated as the eight people who are finalists this year.

Although this is exceptionally impressive—eight out of 41—it is not the greatest representation from APY artists in any given year where, in 2014, 14 of the finalists for the Wynne Prize were from the APY lands. I understand the winner will be announced this Friday 7 June and will be displayed in exhibition with all the finalists until 8 September. I wish all the finalists from South Australia the best of luck in the competition, and I know that we will continue to have many successes at national prizes from our Aboriginal artists.