NATSIAA awards showcase the best of Australian Indigenous art

A life-size sculpted tree complete with parrots and a wandering dog won the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Art Awards (NATSIAA). Every element has ceremonial significance, says Thu' and Apalech artist Keith Wikmunea, from Western Cape York.  Brenda L Croft's 19th Century-style photograph tells a multi-layered story of family bonds and forced child removal. While Anne Nginyangka Thompson's ceramics contain a message about Anangu self determination and the everyday consequences  of colonisation.  Mexican-Canadian media artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer is inspired by the  19th century computer pioneer Charles Babbage, who believed the air surrounding us to be a ‘vast library’ containing every sound and word spoken. His artwork Atmospheric Memory uses technology to turn vibrations in the atmosphere into something viewers can see, hear and even touch.