In the Limelight: Vincent Namatjira’s ‘Desert Songs’ on The Australian Financial Review

25 Oct 2023

Stephen Todd, design editor of The Australian Financial Review’s weekly Life & Leisure feature, shares his thoughts on Vincent Namatjira’s debut exhibition with Yavuz Sydney, Desert Songs.

“[…] a wily, wry critique of Australia’s relationship to Empire – cultural as well as political and economic – and a deft reckoning of the connections between money, power and influence.” writes Todd.

In spite of the apparent humour conveyed through the intentionally flat and quasi-comic nature of his acrylic-on-canvas pieces, Namatjira insists: “I am very serious about what I do. I’m not here to muck around. Artists aren’t here to muck around. We have to be strong, we have to be right, we have to be heard.”

Image: Vincent Namatjira OAM featured on The Australian Financial Review’s Life & Leisure section. Courtesy of The Australian Financial Review.