Hetti Perkins

Hetti Perkins
Name	Hetti Perkins
Birth date	1966
Birth place	Darwin, Northern Territory
Occupation	Curator, writer, broadcaster
Nationality	Australian
Known for	Indigenous Australian art advocacy

Hetti Perkins Hetti Perkins is an Australian curator, writer and broadcaster known for leading major initiatives in Indigenous Australian art curation, museum practice and cultural advocacy. She has held senior curatorial roles at institutions such as the Art Gallery of New South Wales and the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, and curated landmark exhibitions that connected Aboriginal art and Torres Strait Islander art with national and international audiences. Perkins has contributed to scholarly and public discourse through books, essays and radio and television programs bridging communities including Arrernte people, Kalkadoon people and other First Nations groups.

Early life and family

Born in Darwin, Northern Territory, Perkins is the daughter of the activist and politician Charles Perkins and the artist and educator Hetty Perkins senior family lineage, situating her within networks of Arrernte people and broader Indigenous communities. Her upbringing intersected with key figures in Australian Labour Party and Indigenous affairs, including connections to leaders involved with the Freedom Ride (Australia) and institutions such as the Aboriginal Legal Service and Aboriginal Medical Service. Family ties placed her in proximity to cultural makers represented in collections at the National Gallery of Australia and the National Museum of Australia, and to communities across the Northern Territory, New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia.

Education and training

Perkins undertook tertiary studies that engaged with disciplines and institutions including the University of Sydney, the University of New South Wales and art schools linked to the National Art School (Sydney). Her training included museology, curatorship and Indigenous cultural protocols taught in forums at the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies and professional development programs affiliated with the International Council of Museums and the Australian Museums and Galleries Association. She participated in residency and exchange programs with global institutions such as the Tate Modern, the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Smithsonian Institution, deepening curatorial approaches to cross-cultural exhibition-making.

Career and curatorial work

Perkins served as Senior Curator of Indigenous Art at the Art Gallery of New South Wales and later held a strategic role at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia where she developed acquisitions, exhibitions and community engagement programs. Her curatorial practice connected artists and communities with major collecting bodies including the National Gallery of Victoria, the Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA) and the Art Gallery of South Australia. She worked with Indigenous artists such as Emily Kame Kngwarreye, Gordon Bennett, Brook Andrew, Yvonne Koolmatrie, Judy Watson, Rover Thomas, Rosella Namok, Tracey Moffatt and Garry Andrews to present works in contexts alongside international practitioners represented by institutions like the Museum of Modern Art and the Centre Pompidou. Perkins participated in national cultural policy discussions with bodies including the Australia Council for the Arts, the Department of Communications and the Arts and the Australian Heritage Council.

Major exhibitions and projects

Perkins curated and co-curated exhibitions that have toured to venues such as the National Gallery of Australia, the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, the TarraWarra Museum of Art, the Mossenson Galleries and regional centers served by the Aboriginal Art Centres Collective. Notable projects engaged with thematic frameworks seen in exhibitions at the Sydney Biennale, the Venice Biennale, the Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art and the Melbourne International Arts Festival. She developed collaborative projects with cultural organisations including the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, the New Museum, the Contemporary Art Centre of South Australia and the Australian Museum, and worked with funding partners such as the Ian Potter Foundation and the Rothwell Foundation to support touring and catalogue production.

Writing and broadcasting

Perkins authored and edited books, essays and exhibition catalogues for publishers and institutions including the University of New South Wales Press, the National Gallery of Australia, the Art Gallery of New South Wales and the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia. Her writing engaged with artists, movements and archives featured in collections at the National Gallery of Victoria, the Queensland Art Gallery and the Art Gallery of South Australia, while contributing to journals associated with the Australian Centre for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies and the Journal of Australian Studies. Perkins presented and contributed to radio and television programs on networks such as the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and participated in panel discussions at venues including the Sydney Opera House, the State Library of New South Wales and the Melbourne Museum.

Awards and recognition

Perkins has been recognised by institutions and awards bodies including the Order of Australia honours sphere, the Australia Council for the Arts fellowships, and prizes administered by the National Trust of Australia and the Museum and Galleries National Awards. Her leadership has been acknowledged through honorary affiliations with the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, adjunct positions at the University of Sydney and advisory roles for organisations such as the Art Gallery of New South Wales Foundation and the National Cultural Policy consultations. Perkins continues to be cited in scholarship and media alongside curators and critics from institutions like the Tate Modern, the Guggenheim Museum and the British Museum for contributions to Indigenous cultural representation.

Category:Australian curators Category:Indigenous Australian people Category:Australian writers