Makinti Napanangka wins $40k indigenous art award

Queenslander Dennis Nona from the Torres Strait was named as the winner of the $4000 Works on Paper award.

One of the awards’ two judges, renowned Queensland artist Judy Watson, said: “Makinti’s painting sang across the space. It has an inner light, and outshines everything else.”

The awards were overshadowed by a controversy that saw seven Aboriginal arts centres pull their works in protest at the involvement of artists represented by private art dealer John Ioannou, who was appointed to run a Western Desert art centre two years ago.