The Complex Layering of Yarrachi Young's Desert Paintings

Yarrachi Young's work is so successful because of the complex layering involved. It has long been unremarkable that contemporary artists use assistants to realise parts or even all their work. So why is the issue treated so differently for Aboriginal artists, such as Young? Why did the publication of a video spark a sequence of strident denials and legal threats from the APY ACC? And perhaps most interestingly, why did the National Gallery of Australia launch an urgent independent review panel into issues of authorship and assistance? The answers cluster around the colonial underpinnings of Australia's celebrated Aboriginal art movement. In its current form, the entire industry hinges upon non-Aboriginal intermediaries