Keith Wikmunea, a Thu’ Apalech man and artist from Aurukun in Queensland has been announced as winner of the 2023 Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards (NATSIAA). The Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT) made the announcement at the 2023 Telstra NATSIAA Award Ceremony tonight (11 August).
Wikmunea’s sculpture piece Ku’, Theewith & Kalampang: The White Cockatoo, Galah and the wandering Dog (2023) is representative of his family and cultural identity, said the artist. ‘The colours on this tree are specific to my clan, the Thu’ Apalech people.’