Hetti Perkins

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Hetti Kemerre Perkins (born 1965) is an art curator and writer.

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Early life and education

Hetti Kemerre Perkins [1] is an Eastern Arrernte and Kalkadoon woman from Central Australia. She was born in 1965, the daughter of Aboriginal Australian activist Charles Perkins [2] and his wife Eileen Munchenberg; a granddaughter of Hetty Perkins; sister to film director Rachel Perkins and brother Adam Perkins; [3] and mother to actress and activist Madeleine Madden. [2]

She attended Melrose High School in Canberra, with her sister. [4]

Career

Perkins started her career working at Aboriginal Arts Australia, before being appointed curator at the Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Cooperative. [2]

She worked at the Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW) in Sydney from 1989, was the senior curator of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art at the gallery from around 1998 until 2011, when she resigned. She was responsible for some major exhibitions during her time there, including the Australian entry for the 1997 Venice Biennale, which featured the work of Emily Kame Kngwarreye, Yvonne Koolmatrie, and Judy Watson. [2]

In 2010, she was curatorial adviser to "Eora Journey", the City of Sydney's Indigenous public art program. [2]

Also in 2010, she curated the project art + soul: a journey into the world of Aboriginal art , which included a significant exhibition at AGNSW, a book, and a three-part television documentary [2] made by ABC Television. [5] This was aired in October 2010, and later shown on Sveriges Television as "Aborginernas konst".

Perkins was curator of the NPG's fourth National Indigenous Art Triennial in 2021. [2]

As of 2022 Perkins is described as "senior curator-at-large" of the NPG. [1]

In September 2022, she co-curated the 31st Desert Mob exhibition, held by Desart at the Iltja Ntjarra Many Hands Art Centre in Mparntwe Alice Springs, along with assistant manager of the art centre, Marisa Maher. This was the first time that the exhibition had been curated by two Aboriginal women. [1]

Other activities

Perkins was a member of the International Selection Committee for the Biennale of Sydney in 2000. [6] [7]

She has worked with several federal government agencies, community arts organisations, and local government on various initiatives featuring and advocating for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander visual arts. [2]

Recognition and honours

Bibliography

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "31st Desert Mob in Mparntwe". Iltja Ntjarra. 20 September 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Hetti Perkins, b. 1965". National Portrait Gallery people. 2021. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
  3. "Papers of Charles Perkins (1936–2000)". National Library of Australia. April 2002. Archived from the original on 22 December 2020. Retrieved 20 January 2007.
  4. Celebrating the Achievements of our Past Students, ACT Government, archived from the original on 30 January 2017, retrieved 31 January 2017
  5. "Curator unveils a triple treat". The Sydney Morning Herald. 28 September 2010. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  6. "12th Biennale of Sydney (2000) Archives". Biennale of Sydney. 28 November 2021. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  7. "12th Biennale of Sydney". MCA Australia . 20 August 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  8. "Tradition today : Indigenous art in Australia / Art Gallery of New South Wales" (catalogue entry). State Library of New South Wales catalogue. Retrieved 27 January 2024. Catalogue of exhibition showcasing the work of 77 artists represented in the Art Gallery of NSW's extensive collection that highlights the flourishing of Indigenous art from the mid-20th century onwards. Curatorial management, Hetti Perkins, Ken Watson, Jonathan Jones.