작품 상세

Cooee Art Indigenous Fine Art Auction "In 1994, Federal Court Judge John Von Doussa awarded record damages ($188,640) to 3 living and 5 deceased Indigenous artists whose works were reproduced on carpets without knowledge or permission from them or their representatives. The 'Carpet Case', as it became known, came in the wake of the Federal Government+IBk-s review of intellectual property laws as they apply to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts and cultures. The action was brought against a Perth-based company, known as Beechrow Pty Ltd. Beechrow imported the carpets from Vietnam, a country without copyright laws at the time, and sold them in Australia for up to $4000 each. The artists whose works were reproduced without permission were all very prominent Aboriginal artists, including George Milpurrurru, the first Aboriginal artist to have a solo exhibition at the Australian National Gallery. His original bark painting which was reproduced on the carpets is in the collection of the National Gallery of Australia. It had already been adopted as a design for the Australian 85 cent stamp, issued in 1993 to celebrate the International Year of the World+IBk-s Indigenous Peoples. The other works reproduced were from the National Gallery of Australia or private collections by the artists Banduk Marika, Tim Payunka Tjapangarti, George Garrawun, Paddy Dhatangu, Uta Uta Tjangala, Tim Leura Tjapaltjarri, and Fred Nanganaralil. The court determined that it was not appropriate for their artwork to have been reproduced without authorisation and this case set a precedent and became a landmark in the protection of Indigenous cultures in Australia. This rug was subsequently sold with the artist's permission, with payment made through the Aboriginal Art Management Association that acted for the artists in the case. The rug is accompanied by a bark with the same story made by Milpurrurru's brother, Jimmy Djelminy." Contact Cooee Art for more information on this Aboriginal artwork.