Nikita Vanderbyl Nikita Vanderbyl i(9652291 works by)
Gender: Female
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1 Seeing Aboriginal Art : Settler Classifications of the Work of William Barak Nikita Vanderbyl , 2023 single work criticism
— Appears in: Australian Historical Studies , vol. 54 no. 4 2023; (p. 718-739)

'This article sets out to demonstrate the uneven history of settler-Australians’ labelling of Indigenous cultural objects and documents as ‘art’. Using the case of William Barak (c. 1824–1903) as its example, it asks, how was Barak’s work understood prior to the major re-evaluations of Aboriginal art as ‘art’ in the 1980s? A series of fleeting moments of understanding, exchange and recognition provide a hitherto-overlooked genealogy of the shifting reception of Barak’s paintings and drawings within his own lifetime and up to the 1940s. These moments encompass his agency in diplomatic exchange, his peer-to-peer relationships in Melbourne’s colonial artworld, and the early placement of Barak’s work in cultural institutions leading eventually to the first inclusion of his work in an art exhibition in 1943. Selected examples from this trajectory demonstrate an uneven path to recognition while illustrating their ability to exceed the category of art from a western viewpoint.' (Publication abstract)
1 William Barak’s Paintings at State Library Victoria Nikita Vanderbyl , 2019 single work essay
— Appears in: The La Trobe Journal , September no. 103 2019; (p. 6-23) 'The beat of clap sticks and possum-skin drums fills the air as rows of warriors dance and sing in time to the percussion. Two bright fires glow in the centre of this gathering; nearby the director of ceremonies takes centre stage, wrapped in his possum-skin cloak. This is the scene of celebration presented in a painting by Aboriginal Australian artist William Barak (c. 1824–1903). The artwork in State Library Victoria’s care has been executed in blue pigment, red ochre and black charcoal on a canvas of thick cardboard. Barak applied the paint so thickly that it stands out in three dimensions, like that of an Impressionist work. Another painting, which uses the same thick card as a canvas, also depicts a scene of grouped figures wearing cloaks. Instead of dancing, they stand tall, holding jagged spears and other weapons. A kangaroo and an emu are present; the figures wear lyre bird feathers in their hair: to this observer the painting shows hunting and social arrangements within the community. (Introduction)
1 Explainer : The Importance of William Barak’s Ceremony Nikita Vanderbyl , 2016 single work column
— Appears in: The Conversation , 15 June 2016;

'A painting by Wurundjeri [Woiwurung] artist William Barak was auctioned last week for A$512,400. This set a new record for the 19th century artist, diplomat and leader. (His work had previously reached A$504,000 at auction in 2009).'

'The auction by Bonhams of the artwork called Ceremony took place in Sydney on 7 June, and the buyer remains anonymous. The previously unknown piece had remained in the family of English craftsman Frank Piggott Webb for over 100 years.'

'As one of only a few 19th century Aboriginal artists, each piece of Barak’s artwork holds incredible significance for Aboriginal people in Victoria today. ...'
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