SYDNEY.- Hazelhurst Arts Centre will hold a major and ambitious exhibition, Weapons for the soldier, which will bring together 41 important Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists in Australia who have made new work to examine complex and varied responses to weaponry, warfare, and their connection to protecting land and country. Weapons for the soldier is the first Anangu-curated exhibition involving non-Indigenous artists.

Twenty seven of the artists are from the art centres of the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunyjatjara (APY) Lands. The 14 invited artists are some of Australia’s most important Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists. Weapons for the soldier will foster dialogue around multi-geographical and multigenerational fights for land, Country and freedom experienced by Australians, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous, as well as the Indigenous experience in Australian military history.

This ground-breaking project was initiated by the young men of the APY Lands and led by Vincent Namatjira along with Aaron Ken, Derek Thompson, Anwar Young and Kamurin Young who have been supported by senior artists Willy Kaika Burton, Ray Ken, Peter Mungkuri, Mumu Mike Williams and Frank Young.

Weapons for the Anangu soldier is a subject that senior APY artist Ray Ken has explored in his paintings throughout his career. With his permission and encouragement, along with the support of other senior men who often paint weapons and stories of conflict, these younger men explore what it means to be a soldier today and to fight in order to protect your land and culture.

For this exhibition, Vincent and the young men connected with other Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists who they saw as peers. They decided to work on a project where they could connect with artists who have inspired them, on their terms, in a process where their commitment to cultural protocol is maintained. Artists Abdul Abdullah, Tony Albert, Brook Andrew, Lionel Bawden, George Gittoes, Shaun Gladwell, Richard Lewer, Uncle Charles ‘Chicka’ Madden and Jonathan Jones, Danie Mellor, Steaphan Paton, Ben Quilty, Greg Semu and Alex Seton were invited to participate in the project.

Vincent and the young men have each examined war themes in their work to date: Vincent painting oft-overlooked Indigenous soldiers and Anwar and Kamurin Young committed to developing high level expertise in traditional weapons and working with other young men across the Lands to create a new iteration of the ongoing Kulata Tjuta (Many Spears) project which was initiated by senior artists Willy Kaika Burton, Kunmanara (Hector) Burton, Ray Ken, Kunmanara (Barney) Wangin, Mick Wikilyiri and Frank Young in 2010.

Weapons for the soldier is an opportunity to hear Indigenous voices and to honour the male elders of the APY Lands. It is also an opportunity to honour the distinct position of Indigenous people within Australia who have long fought to maintain cultural strength and pride.

Belinda Hanrahan, Director, Hazelhurst Arts Centre said this is an ambitious and important exhibition for Hazelhurst and we are pleased to be able to showcase new works by some of Australia’s most important Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists. The ambitious scale of Weapons for the soldier follows on from the success of the major APY Lands project held at Hazelhurst in 2016, Nganampa Kililpil: OUR STARS.