TRANSCRIPT
Its goal is to foster cross cultural learnings through engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and cultures in Australia and the Netherlands.
Each year, a First Nations arts worker will travel to the Netherlands and gain exposure to the largest collection of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art held by any public institution in Europe.
They will work at the Wereldmuseum in Leiden which is a city near The Hague.
It has almost 3,000 works of art in its First Nations collection.
The Senior Curator of First Nations Art at the National Gallery, Tina Baum, is the first recipient of the Nguluway Dhuluyarra Fellowship.
She told SBS Dutch art is absolutely core to Indigenous identity.
"Arts, culture, they are all intertwined and, you know, now, of course, we have this incredible history within Australia that we also sort of include in that but the arts and that cultural and historical expression, the visual, the performance through storytelling, through language is really, really critical to who we are as First Nations peoples, so being able to work with artists and artworks is an absolute honour for me."
Curator for Oceania at the Wereldmuseum Vonu Veys says the fellowship is a partnership between her institution, the National Gallery and the Embassy of the Netherlands in Australia.
"It's the first time that we're going to have this type of fellowship and it's really exciting that we can offer the possibility to other people from other countries but specially here in this case from a First Nations people to see how an overseas museum works, how we deal with some of the issues, museum issues but also how we work with Indigenous collections."
Policy officer at the Embassy of the Netherlands in Australia, Dr Xenia Hunusiak says bringing a First Nations arts worker from Australia to the Wereldmuseum will advance cultural understanding and engagement.
"So that any visitor to the Wereldmuseum would be able to see the breadth and depth of that exhibition, that asset through the Indigenous eyes, not just the European eyes. And this sets us to connect with our Dutch-Australian connections. So, we see it as a cooperation."
Tina Baum says she's looking forward to taking part.
"Professionally, it's an invaluable experience. I think I've got a wonderful opportunity to continue those conversations and contribute to the Wereldmuseum in the Netherlands, to continue that conversation and day that, you know, the Dutch have been visiting Australia since 1606. Visiting the Aboriginal people on the Cape in Queensland and, you know, there are so many Aboriginal families that have that Dutch heritage."
