ROSELLA NAMOK

Rosella Namok rose to sudden artistic prominence at 23 years of age, and is now just over 30. In 2001 and 2002 she was listed in Art Collectors 50 most collectable artists and the publicity and hype surrounding her early years has not abated to this day. She is cast, in the contemporary Indigenous art scene, as a celebrity figure and this, along with professional representation and sound mentoring, has seen an exponential rise in the market value of her work. It is extraordinary to think that this young artist has already had more than 15 solo exhibitions since 1999 at galleries of the quality of The Hogarth Gallery in Sydney, Andrew Baker Gallery in Brisbane, and Niagara Gallery in Melbourne as well as October Gallery in London. In addition, her works have been shown in Paris, Washington, Georgia, Berlin, Austria and Slovenia. In 2000 she won the Lin Onus Youth Award at the 5th National Indigenous Heritage Art Awards and in 2004 the High Court Centenary Art Award. The list of quality galleries that have held her solo exhibitions is only just as impressive as the number of important Australian and International collections that have acquired her work.

Such has been the hype around her persona and her art, that respected Herald art critic John McDonald, in commenting on the nature of buyers investing in her early work, noted that its entry into the market came at a time somewhat after the original boom period of investment in the contemporary Aboriginal art of Arnhem Land and the Western Desert. He described the collectors of Namok’s early work as a ‘second wave’, commenting in the Sydney Morning Herald after her 2005 exhibition at Hogarth Galleries,

‘I suspect that Namok’s work is being bought primarily as an investment, and only secondly by genuine fans. All those small buyers who never secured a Rover (Thomas) or an Emily (Kame Kngwarreye) when they were affordable are determined not to miss out this time around.’ (McDonald, 2005, 28).

There is definitely a grain of truth in this. However, interestingly, at what is still a very early stage in her career, no less than 52 works have already been offered for sale in the secondary market. While Lawson~Menzies have sold 13 for a total of $109,020 no other auction house has sold more than 3, and while 23 paintings have failed to sell at auction, it is very early days for this artist and this is most likely due, as McDonald suspected, to speculative trading in minor works. While the buoyant secondary market was dominated by private investors during the mid 2000’s, there is, in equal part, a discernible league of genuine aesthetic appreciators to be found at her gallery openings, who continue to support her finest works, and paintings owned by these collectors are unlikely to appear at auction for quite some time.

Her two highest records at auction fit neatly with the prices currently asked by her primary market galleries for equivalent works. It would be a foolhardy secondary market player indeed that undermined such an important emerging primary market performer at such a vital stage in the development of their career. Her record stands at the $31,070 paid for a 165 x 260 cm. canvas titled Rain Dreaming, which sold at Christies in August 2005 (Lot 157), while her next best result was the $28,800 was paid for the 5 panel Old Girls. They Talk in the Sand. .Yarn Far Before Time, 2004 in Lawson-Menzies June 2005 auction (Lot 59).

Only one work in her top ten results has resold and this occupies both her 9th and 10th best result. Para House 2001 a canvas measuring 186 x 133 cm, originally sold at Lawson~Menzies in May 2006 for $13,200( Lot 38) and resold in Decmeber 2008 for $12,000 (Lawson Menzies Lot 216). It was a good work but demonstrated clearly the need to hold on to Namoks works for some time in order to take a profit. As if further evidence is needed in 2007 and 2008 only 11 of the 25 offered have found a buyer. Nevertheless 3 paintings entered her top ten results in 2007 at 6th, 7th and 9th overall and the following year 2 entered at 3rd and 10th. In fact her success rate has changed quite dramatically since 2004 when her work first appeared for sale. In that year all 8 of the works offered sold, no doubt reflecting unmet demand in the primary market. While her career clearance rate has dropped quite dramatically since 2004, the year her works first appeared on the secondary market her highest grossing year at auction was 2006 with total sales equalling $71,425 at an average price of $11,904. Namok is also known as a print artist however her works on paper have not faired well to date. Of the 6 prints offered only 2 have sold for a very disappointing $360 average price.

Rosella Namock is a very interesting young Indigenous artist and collectors would be wise to keep a keep a cool but discerning eye on her progress over the coming years. Don’t be taken in by all the hype. She is a fine artist and is capable of beautiful enigmatic works that explore both the landscape of her country and the culture of its inhabitants. She has been positioned in the public eye as an example of a new wave of contemporary/traditional painters but her work defies simple categorisation. Her career has been managed superbly and if, as we all hope, this continues, collectors should not be afraid to invest in her finest paintings. They will undoubtedly prove their worth both aesthetically and financially in the long term.