'I was with my family when my manager called and gave me the good news about winning,' Mr Wikmunea said. 'We all got really excited. It means a lot to me and my family to be sharing our culture with the rest of Australia.'

 

Keith Wikmunea was born in 1967 and lives in Aurukun in far North Queensland, facing west in the Gulf of Carpentaria. He is from the language group Wik-Alkan (mother’s side) and Wik-Mungkan (father’s side). His totems are the white cockatoo and goanna from his father’s side and the galah and frilled-neck lizard from his mother’s side. His Country is Kencherang (father’s side), which is north of Aurukun.

 

Mr Wikmunea said that Ku’, Theewith & Kalampang: The White Cockatoo, Galah and the wandering Dog is a sculpture 'that represents who I am as a Thu’ Apalech man from the Cape York Peninsula'.

 

 

 

'Congratulations to Keith Wikmunea for winning the Telstra Art Award,' Mr Worrall said. 'He is truly a master carver and I am awed with the might of his work and its celebration of his culture as a Thu’ Apalech man from the Cape York Peninsula.'

 

'I extend my warmest congratulations to all the selected finalists and category winners for the 2023 Telstra NATSIAA. I am filled with immense pride and excitement for the remarkable journey that NATSIAA has undertaken over the past four decades. I express my deepest gratitude to the individuals and communities who have contributed to the Awards and their success.'

 

Telstra CEO Vicki Brady said the Telstra NATSIAA winners and finalists have delivered an exhibition of artwork 'rich in storytelling that is inspiring, thought provoking, and heart-warming'.

 

“Congratulations to Keith Wikmunea on his wonderful sculpture that connects us with his country in Aurukun, Far North Queensland, and to all the 2023 Telstra NATSIAA winners,' Ms Brady said. 'Every year these awards celebrate and recognise the incredible talent of First Nations artists and this year is no different.'

 

Telstra NATSIAA is Australia’s longest running and most prestigious Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art award.

 

This year, 63 finalists from across Australia were selected from a total of 246 entries. These artists, along with many others, have showcased the diversity, talent and cultural richness of the Indigenous art community that continues to shape Australia's cultural landscape.

 

Winners of the Telstra NATSIAA win a share in the richest Aboriginal art awards in Australia; the prize money for the major Telstra Art Award is $100,000 and each of the category awards receives $15,000.

 

The 2023 category award winners are: