Power Institute supports Blue Art Journal

The art of Australia’s First Peoples is internationally renowned, so distinctive and recognisably Australian that it is part of this country’s visual identity. The vibrant and multiform work of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists—such as the late Emily Kame Kngwarraye, Richard Bell, Gunybi Ganambarr, Yhonnie Scarce and Archie Moore—represents an unbroken tradition of artmaking that goes back thousands of years.

Until now, however, Australia has lacked a regular journal dedicated to this work. Blue Art Journal will address this lack, dedicating itself to critical writing about local and global First Nations art. In a statement issued today, Blue Art Journal laid out its mission:

Blue Art Journal is committed to elevating global Indigenous ways of knowing and understanding by preferencing multimodal approaches to reading, writing, listening and speaking about Indigenous visual art knowledges. Blue Art Journal aims to transform how critical and experimental Indigenous voices are sustained and engaged across digital and print publishing.

The journal, under the leadership of curator and writer Erin Vink (Ngiyampaa) and artist Hayley Millar Baker (Gunditjmara), will release its inaugural content later this year, on a website designed by Gulumerridjin (Larrakia)/Wardaman and KarraJarri artist Jenna Lee.

A key supporter of the project is Daniel Browning (Bundjalung/Kullilli), a multi award-winning writer, critic, journalist and broadcaster who has recently joined the University as Professor of Indigenous Cultural and Creative Industries within the School of Art, Communication and English. For many years, Professor Browning has been writing about the need for more consistent approach and a deeper criticality in terms of Indigenous art—precisely the terrain to be covered by this new publication. Professor Browning says:

Blue Art Journal will speak into a void – and I’m here for the conversations it will bring forward. At long last we collectively get to decide what language is used, and how the critique is framed – the record that is made of the work that is being done by the keepers and creators. The journal builds on the legacy of writers and curators who have been doing this work for years, but too often it’s been unheralded, and marginalised, or ad hoc. Blue Art Journal offers writers a dynamic, open space to tease out the nuance and complexity that defines so much of the art and the forum to judge the work—in a sense, on its own terms.

Indigenous writers, art critics and artists have been expressing the need for a platform like Blue Art Journal for decades. Without a dedicated publication, much First Nations art goes unreported or is misunderstood, leading to a lack of understanding among its increasingly wide, and globally diverse, audience. It has also left First Nations writers, artists and curators with few opportunities to champion and challenge their peers in a culturally safe manner.

The journal’s name draws attention to the sky and water, both of which are ancestral bodies of importance that unite all First Nations peoples. The name therefore indicates the journal’s mission to elevate Indigenous ways of knowing, as well as its ambition to build connections between First Nations communities within Australia, across the Great Ocean region and around the world.

Gerald McMaster (Plains Cree), an internationally renowned artist, scholar and curator, has also remarked on the global significance of the project:

Blue Art Journal marks a pivotal moment in Indigenous self-representation, offering First Nations writers and artists the cultural sovereignty to tell our stories on our own terms. This journal will enrich global conversations, foster meaningful connections, and ensure that Indigenous art is understood through the depth and complexity of our own voices.

The opportunity to found Blue Art Journal came out of Art Monthly Australasia, one of Australia’s most respected platforms for critical writing on the region’s art and visual culture. Art Monthly has over the years led a number of projects to support critical writing about First Nations visual art. In 2023-24, confronting financial uncertainty about its future, the publication made the bold decision to transition to an Indigenous-led organisation, and to begin fundraising for a new journal dedicated to Indigenous art.

Blue Art Journal’s board includes some of Australia’s leading researchers, writers, artists and curators. In addition to Vink and Baker, who are chair and deputy chair, this group includes Dean Cross (Worimi), Emily McDaniel (Wiradjuri), Georgia Mokak (Djugun), Katerina Teaiwa (Banaban/I-Kiribati), Nathan Pohio (Waitaha/Kati Mamoe/Ngāi Tahu) and Warraba Weatherall (Kamilaroi). They are supported by Treasurer, Nick Leete.

Earlier this year the Journal received a major grant from Creative Australia to make Blue Art Journal a reality. The University of Sydney is extremely proud to join Creative Australia in supporting this hugely important project. Blue Art Journal has partnered with the Power Institute, a foundation at the University focused on art and visual culture. The Power Institute has provided financial and other in-kind support, and the University recently made a further contribution through its One Sydney, Many People Strategy, reflecting its commitment to First Nations self-determination, cultural leadership, and creative sovereignty.

Blue Art Journal will reflect the strength and depth of First Nations peoples, communities and art, and promises to build a whole new way of thinking and writing about art. As artist Tony Albert (Girramay/Kuku Yalanji/Yidindji) has stated:

Blue Art Journal is more than a publication—it’s a movement. It creates space for us, as First Nations artists and storytellers, to speak with truth, strength and complexity. For too long our voices have been filtered through others. Blue Art Journal allows us to champion one another, challenge the status quo, and share our stories the way they were always meant to be told
 

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