Members of the Reference Group for the Indigenous Australian Art Commercial Code of Conduct (the Code) today called on auction houses dealing in Aboriginal art to prove themselves ethical and responsible members of the Australian art industry.
The catalyst is the offer for sale of works in the current Lawson Menzies Aboriginal Art Auction Catalogue (23 May 2007), which includes images of several objects from Central Australia/Arnhem Land. Indigenous art experts on the Code Reference Group and David Ross, director of the Central Land Council have challenged the sale, saying that the works are restricted, secret and sacred.
The Code (being produced in a partnership between the National Association for the Visual Arts, Desart and ANKAAA) endorses the right of Indigenous people to keep secret and sacred their cultural knowledge and its physical expression. The Code requires all members of the industry, including sellers and buyers, to respect this principle.
In response to the comments made by Lawson Menzies’ Indigenous art specialist Adrian Newstead, Tamara Winikoff, executive director of NAVA said today “It is urgent that auction houses should be revising their practices to ensure that no further damage is done to Indigenous cultural standards”.
read NAVA's media release
To read extracts from the Code relating to commercial dealings in secret sacred material download here .
The Indigenous Australian Art Commercial Code of Conduct was funded by the Australia Council, the federal governments arts funding and advisory body.
