Ryan Presley Wins Prestigious Indigenous Art Prize With Renaissance-Inspired Painting

Marri Ngarr artist Ryan Presley has taken out the nation’s most prestigious Indigenous art prize, winning $100,000 for a painting that combines Renaissance symbolism with local references and the imagery of colonisation. 

Presley’s work Our lifestyle of tranquillity undisturbed was announced today as the winner of the top prize, the Telstra Art Award, at the 2026 Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards (Natsiaa). Winners were announced at a ceremony at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT) on Larrakia Country (Darwin).

Described as a “masterpiece” by Natsiaa curator Dr Shannon Brett, the painting shows a young Indigenous man reclining in a classical pose surrounded by various potent motifs – including a rifle, a dog and gum tree branches – against a landscape of bushfires. The work grew out of Presley’s longstanding interest in Renaissance art – a key reference being Domenico Beccafumi’s Sarteano Annunciation (1545-6).

“I came across the Beccafumi work a few years ago, and I really liked the intensity and intimacy of it, the use of light and darkness together, the architecture of it. And I thought ‘I want to do something like that’, and reference that work,” says Presley, who was born in Mparntwe / Alice Springs and is of the Marri Ngarr language group, but is now based on Yagumbeh Country (Logan City, South East Queensland). This is the fifth time Presley has entered a work in Natsiaa – he was a finalist in 2016 and 2020.

The work also presents “the direct aftermath of colonial activity”, he says, culminating in a painting that combines deep time with the present; European modes with First Nations knowledge; and hope and light with a darker tone. “I’d like it to have an open-ended quality, as that’s life – a mix of experiences, beauty and horror, an ominous quality and a hopeful quality.”

The painting took Presley six months, half of which was dedicated solely to drawing sketches. 

“I was captivated by Ryan’s monumental painting that presents a recomposed view of the past, with references to classical Renaissance style,” Adam Worrall, director of MAGNT, said in a statement. “It has been executed with such technical precision and is a standout work in a year when the quality and diversity of entries was exceptional.” 

This year marks the 43rd edition of Natsiaa, with 2026 attracting 221 entries, from which 64 were selected for exhibition. Judges this year were Julie Gough, Yhonnie Scarce and Warraba Weatherall.

Natsiaa has multiple categories, with all winners announced today. The Telstra General Painting Award was won by Mparntwe / Alice Springs artist Vanessa Inkamala, whose Arrkurla Nukala / Lyaarta Ntema reappropriates a recycled road sign. The Telstra Bark Painting Award went to Miwatj artist Barayuwa Mununggurr, based at Rurrangala, NT, for The hidden reef at Yarrinya. Melbourne-based artist Jenna Mayilema Lee won the Telstra Work on Paper Award for Taking back taken, a remarkable series of dillybags crafted from maps taken from the British Museum in London. 

The Wandjuk Marika Memorial 3D Award was won by Yolngu Matha artist Napuwarri Marawili for Djambatj – Deadly Hunter (wooden sculptures of herons). The Telstra Emerging Artist Award – open to artists in the first five years of their practice – went to Guruwuy Murrinyina, also Yolngu Matha and based in Gäṉgaṉ, NT, for Prismatic Arc. Finally, the Telstra Multimedia Award was won by Colin Heenan-Puruntatameri, a Tiwi artist based in Milikapiti, NT, for the video work Ngirramini Ngini Amparruwu (The story of the widow). Each category winner is awarded $15,000. 

“The artworks shared through Telstra Natsiaa showcase the breadth and diversity of contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art, continuing to demonstrate the important role art plays in preserving culture, sharing stories and fostering greater understanding across Australia,” said Worrall.

The exhibition of finalists at MAGNT will remain open until January 24, 2027.

www.magnt.net.au/telstra-natsiaa-2026

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