Salon des Refusés 2017

Art lovers will have the opportunity to see artworks rejected from inclusion in the internationally renowned National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award (NATSIAA) at an exhibition to open at Charles Darwin University.

The CDU Art Gallery will host the Salon des Refusés, 2017 exhibition, alongside the prestigious NATSIAA, held at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory in August.

CDU Art Collection and Art Gallery Curator, Joanna Barrkman said this was the second year the gallery would host the Salon des Refusés exhibition, which features works that were entered into but not selected for NATSIAA.

“For years there have been discussion and public debate around the selection process for the NATSIAA, with displayed works and winners often creating controversy and debate,” Ms Barrkman said.

“Five years ago Paul Johnstone Gallery and Outstation – art from art centres instigated the Salon des Refusés, which now allows audiences to judge the whole gamut of entries for themselves and have access to works they would not have been able to view previously.”

Ms Barrkman said there were 59 impressive works in a range of media on display, showcasing the incredible breadth of Australian Indigenous art today with strong representation of Northern Territory, APY Lands and the Western Desert artists.

“SALON17 will feature 38 works on canvas, eight works on paper, five bark paintings, five sculptures and three-dimensional works, and three multi-media works,” she said.

It is now firmly established on the Darwin visual arts calendar as a must-see companion event to the NATSIAA.