Review Examines Papunya Art Origins as Art Colony Rather Than Residency

A literature review published in ARTMargins analyzes two recent publications concerning Australian art history. The review, authored by Rex Butler and A.D.S. Donaldson and published on October 15, 2025, examines 'Residencies Reflected' (2024), an essay collection on artist residencies edited by Imeli Kokko, and 'Dot, Circle & Frame: The Making of Papunya Art' (2023) by John Kean. The central argument posits that Kean's reinterpretation of the emergence of contemporary Aboriginal art at Papunya in Central Australia during 1971, which emphasizes greater artistic agency for the Indigenous creators, reveals the site functioned more as an art colony than a formal residency program. The review extends this analysis to suggest that similar creative hubs across Australia in the 1970s indicate the persistence of art colonies within the country during a period when such models were declining globally. This perspective challenges conventional narratives about the institutional frameworks supporting Aboriginal art production. The article appears in ARTMargins Volume 14, Issue 3, pages 113-123, and is accessible via subscription through MIT Press.