Connecting even more Australians to contemporary art, the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA Australia) and Telstra have partnered to create a range of beautifully designed mobile phone cases, the Art Series.
The Art Series shares the rich culture, history and artistic vision of First Nations artists with a new series of phone cases featuring the work of Betty Pumani’s Antara, 2020 and Ms. N. Marawili’s Baratjala, 2019 from the MCA Collection.
The MCA Collection is the only public collection in Australia dedicated to the work of living artists. It contains over 4,500 Australian artworks acquired during the lifetime of the artist, with over a third of collection represented by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists.
This new product range is a result of MCA Australia’s and Telstra’s long standing shared vision to increase and deepen public engagement with contemporary art for all. Since 2000 Telstra has partnered with MCA Australia to increase access and develop audience engagement, supporting major exhibitions, public programs and the MCA’s online museum portal mca.art.
Suzanne Cotter, Director of Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, said: “The Art Series mobile phone case is MCA Australia’s latest collaboration with Telstra and is one of the myriad ways in which we are working with Telstra to give Australians ways to celebrate and connect with the best of contemporary art as part of daily life.”
Nick Broomfield – Head of Accessories, Telstra, said: “Telstra is deeply committed to First Nations communities and is so excited to be able to provide opportunities to support First Nations artists through initiatives like this. We hope that this will be the first in an ongoing series of cases to showcase the amazing diversity of First Nations art in this country.”
The iPhone 15, iPhone 15 PRO and iPhone 15 PRO MAX cases are available for purchase in selected Telstra stores across Australia from 21 November and the MCA Store in Sydney and online from 28 November, priced $50. Other models will be released in the New Year.
About the Art Series artists and artworks:
Ms. N. Marawili, Baratjala (detail), 2019, collagraph and silkscreen
Ms. N. Marawili represents her Maḏarrpa clan estate of Baratjala, near Blue Mud Bay in east Arnhem Land. Her design references the rocks set deep in the water at Baratjala, where Mundukul (the Lightning Snake) resides deep beneath the sea. Her distinctive line and dot work depicts the dynamic atmospheric forces specific to this coastal landscape – the dramatic lightning strikes, the steadfast rocks covered in barnacles among violent sea sprays and the unseen winds – all of which form the foundations of important Maḏarrpa clan stories.
Ms. N. Marawili was a senior Yolŋu artist who worked out of Yirrkala in north-east Arnhem Land. Her work is deeply personal and often depicts sites of her Country on the Maḏarrpa clan estate, a special place where she camped as a child with her family. Experimental in her approach and use of materials, Ms. N. Marawili pushed the boundaries of contemporary Yolŋu art and was considered one of the most original and innovative artists working out of that part of the country.
Betty Kuntiwa Pumani, Antara (detail), 2020, synthetic polymer paint on linen.
Betty Pumani’s paintings represent Antara – her mother’s County – and reveal a shimmering landscape of red earth, bright blue waterholes and stippled white tobacco flowers. At the core of Pumani’s painting practice is the deep connection of her family to the land, going back generations.
Betty Pumani was born on the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands in the northwest of South Australia. She grew up on her family’s homeland around Antara and Victory Well, nestled among the vast granite hills of the Everard Ranges. Pumani’s vibrant landscape paintings express the beauty and resilience of her Country and family in her own visual language.
Created in partnership with the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA Australia), this case covers the back, corners, and edges of your device and features a raised bumper for added protection.
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