Vincent Namatjira Featured in Good Weekend on The Sydney Morning Herald

15 Aug 2024

The Sydney Morning Herald features journalist Benjamin Law’s interview with Australian painter Vincent Namatjira OAM, the first Indigenous artist to win the Archibald Prize in 2020. Namatjira was also awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in recognition of his contribution to Indigenous visual arts that same year.

Law delved into topics including religion, death, and money, as well as Namatjira’s thoughts on a billionaire’s call for the removal of a portrait from the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra

“That picture of Gina, that was just my way of seeing Australia’s richest person. That’s straight from my heart.”

When further questioned, the artist responded, “”It didn’t bother me, really. That’s her opinion, her personal [reaction], her business. But for me to see that, it was like, “Wow, that painting really did affect someone. It touched her!” It jumped out from the canvas and acrylic and touched her.”

Image: Article of Vincent Namatjira on Good Weekend, The Sydney Morning Herald. Courtesy of the artist and The Sydney Morning Herald.