Perpetual and Sculpture by the Sea have announced Indigenous artist Patricia Marrfurra McTaggart OAM as the recipient of this year’s $30,000 Helen Lempriere Scholarship.
The Helen Lempriere Scholarships are designed to enable artists to further their artistic development through travel, study and the purchase of important new equipment while supporting their inclusion in Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi.
Due to the postponement of Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi in 2020 and 2021, the works of previously announced Helen Lempriere Scholarship recipients Marina DeBris (2021), Stephen King (2020), Andrew Townsend (2020) and Jina Lee (2020) will also be on display at this year’s exhibition in eastern Sydney.
Patricia Marrfurra McTaggart OAM on Merrepen verandah with Amy, 2021
McTaggart is an artist, linguist, teacher and author who lives with her family in Nauiyu in the Northern Territory. She received an Order of Australia for her work in preserving language and ethnobotany in the Daly River area and has co-authored seven books on the subject. This will be Patricia’s first time exhibiting at Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi.
McTaggart will exhibit a Merrepen fibre sculpture titled Fish Net (Walipan), based on nets traditionally used for fishing in the community of Nauiyu, situated on the Daly River, one of the largest rivers in the Northern Territory. The fish nets are now made to remind local people of their history and culture, teach young local women how to weave and dye Merrepen fibre, and teach others about traditional indigenous culture.
The scholarship will be used to fund McTaggart’s travel to Sydney to install Fish Net (Walipan) at Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi, with the help of her youngest son, artist Kieren Karritpul. While in Sydney, McTaggart will visit and study the First Nations Collection in the Art Gallery of New South Wales, including works from the community at Nauiyu. The scholarship will also enable her to travel to Canberra to visit the collections at the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies and the National Gallery of Australia, including the writings and photographs of William Edward Stanner, who made many recordings of life and events in the community of Nauiyu.
Patricia McTaggart Marrfurra OAM, Fish Trap. Courtesy the artist
McTaggart commented, “It is an honour for me to accept the Helen Lempriere Scholarship to progress my artistic and academic practice. The scholarship will allow me access to study many works, including those from the community of Nauiyu such as my mother’s fishing net and bag; barks of Charlie Madigan and Nym Bunduck; and the writings and photographs of William Edward Stanner, who interviewed both my father and grandfather.”
Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi 2022 features over 100 artworks by Australian and international sculptors, which is set to transform the spectacular 2km Bondi to Tamarama coastal walk from 21 October to 7 November 2022.
