The Kate Challis RAKA Award is an annual award for Indigenous creative artists established by the late Professor Emeritus Bernard Smith. Administered by the University of Melbourne's Australian Centre, the award of approximately $25,000 is offered in a five-year cycle with practitioners in a different area of the arts being rewarded each year.
For over twenty-five years, the award has been instrumental in assisting the development of Indigenous writers, performers, film-makers, poets and visual artists, and in 2013 the award category was the visual arts. Previous visual arts winners include Gali Gurruwiwi (2009), Ricky Maynard (2003), Brook Andrew (1998) and Lin Onus (1993).
Under the Sun included artworks in various media by emerging and established artists who have been selected for this prestigious invitational award: Teresa Baker (SA), Daniel Boyd (Qld/NSW), Hector Burton (WA), Timothy Cook (Tiwi/NT), Mabel Juli (WA), the late Kunmarnanya Mitchell (WA), Alick Tipoti (TSI/Qld), Garawan Wanambi (NT), and Regina Wilson (NT).
Curated by Joanna Bosse and Suzette Wearne.
The Kate Challis RAKA Award 2013 has been awarded to the work Garnkeny Ngarranggarni (2010) by Mabel Juli.
Mabel Juli, Garnkeny Ngarranggarni 2010, natural pigments and synthetic binder on canvas, 100 x 140 cm. Collection of the Daffodil and Daisy Superannuation Fund, Perth. © Courtesy the artist and Warmun Art Centre.