INDIGENOUS FINE ART AUCTION 17 Thurlow St, Redern, NSW 2016 20 June 2023 Viewing Room INDIGENOUS FINE ART AUCTION 20 June 2023 17 Thurlow St, Redern, NSW 2016 We are delighted to announce that our first Indigenous Fine Art auction for 2023 will be held on Tuesday the 20th of June 2023. Once more, the enthusiastic and dedicated team of Cooee Art specialists have assembled a wonderful selection of regionally diverse and historically significant Indigenous paintings, sculptures, and artefacts. These artworks were sourced from collections around Australia, the Americas, and Europe, and will now be offered to our discriminating collectors. This wonderful collection proves, without doubt, that the allure, resilience, and appeal of Australian Aboriginal art is eternal. The sale, consisting of 106 lots with an estimate value of $1.58 – 2.1 million, will be on view at Cooee Art Gallery located in Redfern from Saturday 10th to Tuesday 20th June 2023. VIEW CATALOGUE VIEW AUCTION RESULTS

Artist Profile for Bugai Whyoulter < Back Bugai Whyoulter Bugai Whyoulter ARTIST PROFILE ARTIST CV MARKET ANALYSIS READ FULL ARTIST PROFILE top Anchor 1 PROFILE Bugai Whyoulter ARTIST CV Market Analysis MARKET ANALYSIS Disclaimer: At Cooee Art Leven, we strive to maintain accurate and respectful artist profiles. Despite our efforts, there may be occasional inaccuracies. We welcome any corrections or suggested amendments. Please contact us with your feedback .

HER MEDITATIONS - BIDDY TIMMS NAPANANGKA Biddy Timms Napanangka 3 - 24 - August 2024 VIEW MAIN EXHIBITION PAGE VIEW MAIN EXHIBITION PAGE

Stephen Brameld and Jay Staples have mastered the practice of collaborative painting. Though extensively exhibited on the West Coast, this will be the artists’ first solo presentation in Gadigal (Sydney), hence the the show’s simple title - ‘ New Works By ’, although the name also carries an element of tongue-in-cheek. “This exhibition has not been produced lineally or intensively, but rather the collection has revealed itself to us over the last 4 years. These are heavily processed objects that have had many previous incarnations. There’s always many works in circulation that get pulled in and out of the painting frame, some works have been in the system for close to five years.” A common pitfall for painters working collaboratively is a tendency to overcrowd an image with distinctly separate stylistic elements. The imagery ist often jarring as composition buckles under the weight of warring egos. Conversely, much of ‘Australian’ First Nations art has traditionally been a largely collaborative practice. Not only were the subjects and stories shared and guarded within community groups, but, before being commodified, their execution, too, was often a collaborative endeavour. Even now, most artistic practices still pursue goals separate from personal gain (more often than not, funds are quickly distributed among communities) or creative credit and fame. If anything, elder artists are revered for the breadth and depth of their cultural knowledge rather than something as abstract as a painting ‘career’. The stories and figures in these artworks are collectively owned and their depictions are intended to share this knowledge. As in many other aspects of society, these practises foster an environment of connection, commonly placing value on community over the self. In this context, the creation of art is collaborative by definition.  In comparison, Western culture will largely elevate the individual over the collective. Art-making especially, is framed as a lonely pursuit. Yet, collaborative creation necessitates a degree of separation from the ego.  Brameld and Staples, too, aim for something outside of themselves. “[…] we feel like we are working towards common ground, a shared vision doesn’t emerge per se, but it feels as though we are able to work off each other towards a collective vision.” Up close, their process can appear almost violent. Where some painters may take turns approaching the easel, making a few marks, and yielding to the other, Brameld and Staples set upon their canvas* simultaneously and with swift, almost frantic movements, at times breaking into furious flurries of relentless brushstrokes. “Processing concluded with a circular saw run through the middle of it[…]”**  With no set goal, the path can be a battle of attrition, requiring patience as well as sacrifice (it is common for a project to be destroyed, sometimes for its parts to be rearranged, or to become an organ donor to the benefit of other works). “They speak to the clarity provided by perseverance, the benefit of working through something.” While much gets buried under paint or covered with debris, cut out or turned inside out, nothing goes to waste during the act. Every absence is a meaningful element of the work, and the evidence remains visible in the richly layered and deeply scarred surfaces. Yet, from the chaos emerge  delicately balanced compositions that can appear almost minimalist. To say that the two artists mirror the act of conversation in their practice can feel, to some degree, reductive. In the process of a work’s creation, the two artists’ brushstrokes gain the immediacy of a thousand half-formed notions and budding ideas flowing freely between two minds unburdened of the constricting process of assigning them names. Not only do they seemingly translate the act of thinking into a physical act, they turn it into a dance of conscious and unconscious thought. “There’s never an obvious solution, it needs to sneak  up on you, and somehow we both see it.” – Essay by Sam Sterneborg *’canvas’ used here in the broader sense, considering the variety of media used **in reference to ‘Football Guernsey’, 2024, p.12-15

Bonnie Connelly  Nakara was born in 1936, at Illurpa, a place near Blackstone in the Ngaanyatjarra lands, Western Australia.  Her family moved to the Walka area when she was young. Walka is a significant site as it at the confluence of the Tjala   Tjukkurpa ( Honey Ant Country) and the Minyma Kutjara Tjukkurpa  (Two Women creation story). Both depicted in Bonnie’s paintings.  Using a delicate dry-brush technique, Nakara brings to life the rich textures of the desert landscape that she has called home for a lifetime. Born near Papulankuja (Blackstone in Western Australia), she has traveled extensively across the remote Ngaanyatjarra lands, drawing inspiration from her deep cultural knowledge, ancestral connections, and the vast familial networks that weave through the desert. Adults from left to right: Alison, Dianne, Marlene, and children at the cave at Walka, and at Minyma Kutjara site, 17 December 2025 Photo  by Remy Faint. Minyma Kutjara  (Two Women) Tjukurrpa—a significant creation story that maps the land from South Australia through the Central Desert to Kaltukatjara (Docker River) in the Northern Territory. This powerful narrative, central to women’s law and ceremony carrying immense cultural significance. T he Minyma Kutjara  (Two Women) story is unique to the Walka area. It is a creation story that follows two sisters as they separate from their ten siblings and journey deep into the country. Bonnie's children walking to the Minyma Kutjara  site, 17 December 2025. Photo by Remy Faint.  Their journey takes them to Walka, known as Tjalaku-Ngurra  (Honey Ant Country), where the sisters stop to dig for honey ants. One sister kneels to dig while carrying a coolamon—a shallow, curved-sided dish—on her head to collect the honey ants. She can still be seen there today, now transformed into a rock formation. The other sister dug deeper and has become submerged into the hill. The honey ant eggs, unearthed by the sisters in their search, are scattered across the surrounding hillside as white rocks.  Bonnie’s eldest daughter, Marlene, says that Bonnie knows the songline and the  Tjukurpa  for that area. “Mum grew up here, and her brother was born there,” making it a place of deep significance for her.  Marlene remembers the time she spent with Bonnie at Walka as a child. A nearby cave, which provided shelter for the family when it rained, features ancient rock art of the Honey Ant Tjukurpa  and the Two Sisters Tjukurpa— evidence of the timescale this story is a part of, passed from one generation to the next.  B onnie conveys this knowledge through the intricacies of her paintings, which now live on through another pair of sisters—Marlene and Dianne, two of her six children. The custodianship of The Two Sisters story and the Walka area has passed from Bonnie to her children. As a senior artist, proud great-grandmother, and strong cultural woman, her paintings serve as a legacy for them and future generations, preserving the eternal story lines within their  Tjukurpa —a path to follow long after she is gone.  Map of the Walka and Kaltukatjara Region, February 2025. Graphic by Reuben Jacob

For Art Leven, this year was marked by an exciting transformation. Rebranding from Cooee Art to Art Leven, we embraced a forward-thinking approach while staying true to our values of promoting Indigenous art ethically and authentically. The rebrand reflects our vision to foster deeper connections with artists and audiences while continuing to showcase First Nations art both locally and internationally. The ‘Australian' First Nations art market has seen significant developments in 2024, continuing its upward trajectory with both local and international recognition. A standout moment for the industry was the announcement of Emily Kame Kngwarreye's major exhibition at the Tate Modern in London in 2025. This exhibition solidifies Kngwarreye's standing as one of the most influential artists globally, further highlighting the importance of First Nations art on the world stage. Our auction results in 2024 were strong, with our First Nations Fine Art Auction on November 12th achieving impressive results. The auction saw a high percentage of works sold, with notable pieces by artists such as Lin Onus and Emily Kngwarreye leading the sales. The top 10 artworks sold in the auction market included three by Lin Onus, one by Ginger Riley, and six by Emily Kngwarreye, three of which were sold by us in our November auction.  More broadly, while the total market revenue was lower than the past two years, as expected, the number of artworks offered was the highest on record. First Nations art represented 9.8% of the Australian auction market, earning $12.94 million out of $132 million. 1,719 Indigenous artworks were offered, with an average sale price of $7,528, reflecting broader trends in the industry. From the market data, it's clear that while the Indigenous art sector saw an increase in the number of works offered, it faced challenges in revenue, reflecting a broader trend in the Australian auction market. Despite this, the sector's representation remains significant, with continued notable presence from top artists like Lin Onus and Emily Kngwarreye. The overall market appears to be stabilising with a slight dip in overall sales, but with sustained interest in high-quality works by leading First Nations artists. Our 2024 exhibition program showcased a balanced mixture of solo and group shows in partnership with art centres, as well as solo exhibitions by represented artists. Among the latter were highly successful exhibitions by Gadigal artist Konstantina, whose sellout exhibition was followed by a special showing at Parliament House and an announcement of her collaboration with the British Museum. Darwin based artist Joshua Bonson's A ncestors Footsteps, themed around a quasi-pilgrimage to the artist’s ancestral Torres Strait Islands, and It Flows  by award-winning artist Joanne Currie Nalingu.  Art Leven also presented first-time solo exhibitions for seasoned artists in Amy Loogatha Rayarriwarrtharrbayingathi Mingungurra, in partnership with Mornington Island Arts and Biddy Timms Napanangka, who has been painting for Warnayaka Arts almost since the art centre’s beginnings.  2024 was also host to a number of interesting collaborations, including Who x Who, in conjunction with our neighbours in ANIBOU. furniture and Strutt Studios. It also marked the second consecutive year that we housed the Oceanic Art Fair and the illustrious Paddington Art Prize. Finally, our Sydney Contemporary booth showcased the first comprehensive retrospective exhibition of the great Warlpiri artist Lily Jurrah Hargraves Nungurrayi, which included works sourced from private and commercial collections across the globe. Warlpiri Master was   accompanied by an illuminating catalogue featuring in-depth essays by multiple authors on the life and career of the celebrated and important artist. Looking ahead, we are excited to continue elevating, preserving, and celebrating First Nations art in 2025 and beyond, with increased engagement from both new and seasoned collectors, institutions, and global audiences. We hope you enjoy the holidays and stay tuned in the coming weeks for the announcement of our much-anticipated exhibition program for 2025.