Media Release, 2025 Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards guest curator announced, July 2025
The Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory introduces the 2025 Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards Guest Curator Kate ten Buuren.
As excitement grows for the upcoming 2025 Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards ceremony on Friday 8 August, MAGNT is proud to introduce Kate ten Buuren, the guest curator behind this year’s significant exhibition.
About Kate ten Buuren
Kate ten Buuren is a Taungurung artist and independent curator who lives in Melbourne on Kulin Country. Previously, Kate was Senior Curator, First Nations at Melbourne Arts Precinct Corporation, embedding First Peoples’ stories across the redevelopment of Melbourne’s expanding Arts Precinct. In 2024, Kate co- curated The Blak Infinite with Yorta Yorta woman Kimberley Moulton in a collaborative project between RISING and Fed Square. The Blak Infinite reflected First Peoples’ connections to the cosmos through public art in large-scale installations, projections, poetry, photography and more.
Kate has worked at Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI), where she curated the major summer exhibition, How I See It, in 2023, and at the Koorie Heritage Trust, where she was the Curator of Collections and Exhibitions, delivering a range of projects focused on southeastern contemporary practice. This included the presentation of the Koorie Art Show, the annual Art Awards for practitioners living in Victoria.
Kate is a founding member of First Nations art collective, this mob, who make art together and deliver programs targeted at emerging practitioners in Melbourne. Her independent curatorial projects include Now You’re Speakin My Language for NOWNESS Asia and the IMA Brisbane, and Collective Movements, which was co-curated with Maya Hodge and N’arweet Carolyn Briggs at Monash University Museum of Art and toured regionally across Victoria.
“It is a privilege to be the first guest curator of Telstra NATSIAA at MAGNT and to build upon the legacy that has been forged by many people before me. Each year, the Telstra NATSIAA raises the bar for contemporary art on this continent. The 71 finalists in 2025 are exceptional artists, and their works form part of the greater constellation of First Peoples’ creative practice – unique in their own way but connected. Collectively, the exhibition reflects on Ancestors and the knowledge passed down through generations, societal currents, Country and each artist’s unique experiences and worldviews. This year, we’ve seen an increase in artists from the Southeast, which gives positive insight into the future of the Awards. First Peoples artists are making ground-breaking works in every part of this continent, and the Telstra NATSIAA is a yearly opportunity to come together and celebrate the diversity of contemporary practice. I am excited for audiences to experience these important works and engage deeply with each artist’s story”.
Kate ten Buuren
Awards Ceremony and Free Concert | Friday 8 August 2025 | MAGNT Lawns
This event and ceremony will feature the official announcement of all award winners, plus live performances by Velvet Trip and special guests.
Find out more about the 2025 Telstra NATSIAA finalists and events here.
Principal Partners
MAGNT acknowledges Telstra as the Principal Sponsor of Telstra NATSIAA for the past 34 years. Their long- standing support has played a key role in growing national and international awareness of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art. The Awards are also supported by the Australian Government and Northern Territory Government through the Visual Arts and Craft Strategy.
Available to interview
Adam Worrall | MAGNT Director
Kate ten Buuren | 2025 Telstra NATSIAA Curator
Media Contact
Ali Copley | MAGNT Communications | [email protected] 0438 111 343
Gabrielle Wilson | The Press Society | [email protected] 0433 972 915
More Information about the Telstra NATSIAA
- Telstra NATSIAA is Australia’s longest-running and most prestigious Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art award.
- The 2025 Telstra NATSIAA is a celebration of contemporary indigenous
- 71 exceptional new artworks have been selected from over 200 entries, presenting a snapshot of the finest new contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art created in the past year.
- Telstra NATSIAA has been a platform for both emerging and established artists to showcase their talents for over four decades.
- The Telstra NATSIAA exhibition opened on 21 June 2025 and continues until 26 January
- The ceremony will include the announcement of all 2025 Award winners on Friday, 8 August
