Iwaidja artist Christine Christophersen has been selected as the second Australian ever to be offered an artist residency at the Joseph and Anni Albers Foundation studio in Connecticut, USA – supported by the Australia Council for the Arts.

Lydia Miller, executive director of the Australia Council’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts division, said Christine joins a select group of artists who have worked at the estate of the late Bauhaus-school artists – Joseph and Anni Albers.

‘This residency is a once in a lifetime opportunity for Christine to work in one of the world’s leading residential art studios and develop her practice,’ she said.

A visual artist from Darwin whose past works have been inspired by her staunch opposition to mining in Kakadu National Park, Christine’s works are currently on display in Culture Warriors – Australia’s first national Indigenous art triennial.

Christine said she was delighted to be selected for the residency, which will give her the space to continue developing a series exploring kinship and connections to country.

‘For the past couple of months I’ve been working off verandas in Darwin so having a dedicated creative space is going to be fantastic. Three months in the cooler climate of Connecticut also means I can return to my first love – painting with oils. In Darwin the paints crack because it’s too hot,’ she said.

Christine was selected for the residency by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts board on behalf of the Albers Foundation.  The residency contributes to a greater strategy of showcasing Australia’s best Indigenous artists to the world.

Christine will leave for the USA in early September.