The NAIDOC 2022 Art exhibition 'Get up! Stand up! Show up!' has opened at Yalawanyi Ganya, 2 Biripi Way, South Taree, in a celebration of connection to Country, and the continued fight for change.
The exhibition runs until August 12 2022, and is a showcase for Aboriginal artists from the region, helping them to share their stories and culture.
"This year we were able to use Yalawanyi Ganya as the exhibition space which is fantastic. It reaches a different audience to our normal gallery members, which is always exciting," Manning Regional Art Gallery director, Rachel Piercy said.
Submissions were open for any Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person living in the region and wishing to participate.
Canvases were supplied for artists to collect, paint, then return for the exhibition, including about 50 small canvases completed by children, along with larger canvases painted by adults in the community.
"We've got a lot of high schools also participating, with about 35 works from students from years 7 to 12, which is really fantastic to see. They're beautiful works.
"And then we have adults from the community as well," Rachel said.
Contemporary Indigenous artists have won many of Australia's most prominent art prizes, such as The Wynne Prize, which has been won by Indigenous artists on at least three occasions.
With the talent on show at Yalawanyi Ganya, it's only a matter of time before local artists figure in national competitions of this stature.
In the meantime, the 2022 NAIDOC exhibition continues to impress all visitors with its unique vibrancy.
"It's overwhelming. Everyone just thinks it's absolutely fabulous. It's really nice to have works on display at Yalawanyi Ganya for the audience of the MidCoast region. And everyone's just really, really happy with it," Rachel said.
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