The South Australian government will spearhead a review into the origins of First Nations artwork following allegations non-Indigenous workers have interfered in works by Aboriginal artists.
State and federal arts ministers agreed to launch the review in response to media reports about the authorship of First Nations artwork sold across the country.
The South Australian government will lead the review in partnership with the Northern Territory and federal governments, but it is yet to decide how far reaching the probe will be or when it will start.
It follows reporting in News Corp broadsheet The Australian that questioned whether non-Indigenous workers had interfered in work produced by Aboriginal artists at APY Art Centre Collective (APY ACC), located on the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands in South Australia's Far North.
Last month, The Australian published footage which it said appeared to show a non-Indigenous assistant making creative decisions and painting on a depiction of the Tjukurpa — the spiritual and sacred law that governs culture.
The footage appeared to be taken at the Tjala Art Centre in South Australia's Far North, which is part of the APY ACC.
The APY ACC has previously "strenuously" denied the allegations printed by News Corp.
"True industry experts understand the line between assistance at artists' direction and interference with the artistic process and know that APY ACC has never crossed this line," it said in a statement in April.
"It is grossly offensive to the many hundreds of proud Anangu who work with APY ACC to suggest otherwise, or that they would tolerate their Tjukurpa being interfered with."
Review to probe 'serious allegations'
South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas said "genuine questions, if not serious allegations" had been raised in the media reports.
"It's specifically looking at the provenance of Aboriginal art particularly in SA and the NT to ensure that its integrity is true when it goes into the marketplace or into various galleries," he said.
"It's not intended to be a comprehensive system-wide review of Aboriginal art per se, but specifically looking at the integrity of it in light of the allegations that have been made."
South Australian Arts Minister Andrea Michaels said the government would seek to appoint a First Nations man and woman to conduct the review.
"We know it's having a financial impact, we know sales across various arts centres are down — not just in the APY Art Centre Collective," she said.
"That is one of the reasons we want to jump on this and really investigate these allegations and determine what happens from there."
The government said it would publicly release the terms of reference for the review once they were established.
The probe comes after the National Gallery of Australia in April announced it would review the "provenance and creation" of works displayed at its Ngura Pulka – Epic Country exhibition, which was slated to showcase pieces from the APY ACC.
Indigenous artists welcome review
Alyawarre woman Jade Torres, who owns Pwerle Aboriginal art gallery in Adelaide, said the government review was "incredibly important and critical" for the Aboriginal art industry.
She said she hoped the review would make it clear that any non-Indigenous interference in Aboriginal artwork was not condoned.
"For us, it's been a matter of survival and really having to backtrack and reassure our clients that we are authentic and we have been doing this correctly," she said.
"Our only priority right now is protecting our culture, our people and the art industry.
"This is not only our income and our livelihood, but this is our entire future and our culture at stake."
Torres said it was important for Aboriginal artists and workers to feel supported while the review was underway.
"When statements like this are made and we are unable to continue doing what we love and unable to make our everyday income, it's really hard to keep doing what we can do to keep our culture going," she said.
Eastern Arrernte man Scott Rathman, who owns the Rusted Tin contemporary Aboriginal art gallery in Adelaide, told ABC Radio Adelaide that allegations of non-Indigenous interference in First Nations art "put into question everyone in the industry's integrity".
"If the allegations are found to be true, then they're really concerning," he said.
"As an Aboriginal artist myself who's creating work, you don't want to see there be an impact of people questioning whether the art that they are buying is being genuine.
"We want to be able to tell our stories however we want to tell them, and we want people to be able to enjoy that and trust that it's been created by an Aboriginal person."
Ku Arts, which supports South Australian Aboriginal artists, said in a statement on its website on Friday that it supported a "wide-ranging and independent investigation into the concerning allegations against the APY ACC".
It agreed that cooperation between the SA, NT and federal governments was required.
"There is an urgent need for an evidence-based investigation into the numerous claims made by The Australian newspaper against the APYACC," the statement said.
"Those who have been most impacted by these issues need to be able to share their experiences and this can only happen in a controlled, transparent, and safe environment."
APY ACC to 'fully cooperate' with review
Meanwhile, the APY ACC said it believed the review would show that it ran professional studios that met the "highest standards of practice".
"The APY ACC will fully cooperate with any investigation," it said in a statement to the ABC.
"It would make sense for any 'wide ranging investigation' to consider the outcomes and practices of all First Nations arts and culture service providers, peak bodies, and private dealers based in Alice Springs and Adelaide.
"The APY Art Centre Collective has been advocating for this kind of industry review for the past 10 years and it is long overdue."
The APY ACC — which represents 10 Indigenous-owned and governed enterprises and about 500 artists — lists the federal government as one of its partners.
