In the 37th year of the Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards (NATSIAA), the 2020 Telstra People’s Choice Award goes to South Australian artist Nyunmiti Burton for her painting Ngayuku Ngura (2020).
‘I am painting my country; this is Irrunytju or Wingellina in Western Australia. It’s the story of Minyma Kutjara – two women who are travelling to Docker River. This is the story my mother has given me,’ explains Burton.
Nyunmiti Burton. Courtesy APY Art Centre Collective
Born in Alice Springs in 1960, Burton was raised in Pukatja (Ernabella) and now resides in Amata. She is notably a two-time finalist in the Telstra NATSIAA in 2014 and 2015 and continues to exhibit her work in galleries across Australia.
Nyunmiti Burton, Ngayuku Ngura, 2020, synthetic polymer paint on Belgian linen, 300 x 200cm
‘I would like to extend a warm congratulations to Nyunmiti Burton on her well-deserved 2020 Telstra People’s Choice Award win. I have had the pleasure of viewing many audiences standing in awe of Ngayuku Ngura in the 2020 Telstra NATSIAA gallery at MAGNT Darwin. Ms Burton’s rich story passed down from her mother set on the artists’ signature large-scale canvas clearly defines her work as an audience favourite,’ said MAGNT Director Marcus Schutenko.
‘Thank you to all the people that voted for my painting! I love painting, and it means a lot to me that doing something I love makes other people happy too. What a good story! Palya, thank you.’ – Nyunmiti Burton
The Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Awards finalists’ is on display at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT) until 31 January 2021. You can continue to view the show online, on the gallery’s website.
