May 27, 2015
Elaine Chambers, a Kuku Yalangi/Koa Aboriginal woman from Brisbane with family connections in Cherbourg, has won this year’s prestigious national NAIDOC Poster Competition.
The poster will be distributed across Australia to promote NAIDOC Week 2015, which runs from July 5-12.
Artists entering the competition were asked to submit an artwork which represented their interpretation of this year’s NAIDOC theme ‘We All Stand On Sacred Ground: Learn, Respect and Celebrate’.
The NAIDOC Committee said there was a great response to the competition. More than 120 entries were submitted this year.
However the Committee was unanimous in its selection of Ms Chambers’ artwork, which won a $5000 prize.
The winning artwork is a combination of photography, drawing and graphic work to represent the ages and colors of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and their strong spiritual connection to the land and sea.
The lines and dots represent sacred areas throughout the country, and they join with a meeting place in the center that represents families and communities.
The focal point of Ms Chambers’ design are four sets of feet.
The most prominent set of feet are those of her father, Charlie Chambers Senior, who Ms Chambers says “hands down information to us about the sacred grounds we stand on”.
National NAIDOC Committee Co-Chair, Anne Martin, said she felt the depiction of the feet represents families and communities standing together, strong and united on country.
Co-Chairs Anne Martin and Benjamin Mitchell congratulated Ms Chambers on her winning entry and thanked all the talented artists who submitted artwork for this year’s competition.
“We really appreciate the work that the artists have put into their pieces.” Mr Mitchell said.
Free copies of the 2015 National NAIDOC Poster can be ordered on the NAIDOC website.
