National Emerging Art Prize 2023

Founded in 2021, the National Emerging Art Prize was established to provide a highly visible national platform to identify, promote and support Australia’s most promising emerging visual and ceramic artists. The prize exists not only to offer a robust and highly visible platform to showcase artists in the emerging stages of their careers but also to furnish the winners and runners-up with a significant cash prize and a suite of non-cash prizes to further support their practice and to provide a pathway to a long-term art career and representation.

Obed Namirrikki was awarded the Runner Up prize in the Painting category. Obed is an emerging artist at Maningrida Arts and Culture. Under the the tutelage of his father, acclaimed senior artist Ivan Namirrkki, Obed has mastered painting Rarrk on bark, Lorrkkon and carved wooden representations of mimih. Common totems that Obed has the authority to paint include Wak (Black Crow djang), Namande (The one leg spirit), Kunngol (clouds) and rolk (maggot djang).