Pusha T and Kanye West will likely never work together again. Despite once sharing a creative partnership, Pusha T has made it clear that their rift is far from over. When asked about the possibility of collaboration with Ye, the Virginia rapper firmly stated that those days are behind him.
Pusha T says he will never work with Kanye West again
Pusha T has shut down any speculation about reuniting with Ye, the artist formerly known as Kanye West, making it clear their era of collaboration is over. In a new interview with The Guardian, the rapper reflected on the creative highs they once shared but firmly stated that those days are behind him.
When asked directly if he would consider collaborating with Ye again, Pusha T’s response was clear. He said, “Yeah, that’s in the past. That’s definitely in the past.” The rapper explained that he does not take past disputes lightly. He said, “If I diss someone, it’s a very real thing to me. I watch other rappers use disses as a gimmick and sh*t like that, but that ain’t what this is for me.”
During the conversation, Pusha T also highlighted good times at the G.O.O.D. Music era, saying, “Just as a rap aficionado, well, being there was special.” He went on to describe specific milestones, including the weekly G.O.O.D. Friday series, the recording of tracks such as ‘So Appalled’ and ‘New God Flow.’
The rapper added, “The albums I dropped during that time, like Daytona and It’s Almost Dry, they are very, very strong offerings. It goes without saying that me and Ye made great things together.”
The rift between the former collaborators has been evident for some time. Earlier this year, in an interview with GQ, Pusha T described Ye as a “genius” with exceptional intuition. However, he also admitted that their relationship had deteriorated. He claimed Ye “sees through my fakeness with him” and “knows I don’t think he’s a man.”
Originally reported by Disheeta Maheshwari on Mandatory.
The post Kanye West & Pusha T Aren’t Reuniting Ever Again appeared first on Reality Tea.
BBC Asian Network has announced a new schedule, including new presenters and a new show kicking in from Monday 1 September.
Among the changes, Asian Network will introduce a new show to the weekly schedule and welcome a new roster of presenters from across the UK.
Asian Network’s brand-new afternoon programme will air every Monday to Thursday 3pm-6pm, hosted by Jaz Singh, marking his first full-time role as a radio presenter. Jaz rose to prominence as a contestant on The Traitors and went on to host Asian Network Motivation as a rotational presenter as well as covering shows across the network. He has also presented a documentary on BBC Radio 4. The new show will feature a mix of music and entertainment, aimed at reflecting the interests and experiences of British Asian communities.
Jaz Singh says: “As a finalist on BBC The Traitors to now hosting my own live radio show with BBC Asian Network, I’m beyond grateful to the people that are putting their trust and time into me because this is a dream!! Expect the biggest tunes, good vibes and be prepared to see a side of me you’ve never witnessed before!”
Alongside Jaz, Harleen Nottay will join the station to present The Everyday Hustle (Monday, 6am-6:30am). An award-winning presenter, producer and reporter from Scotland with a focus on health, wellness and amplifying voices from the South Asian diaspora, Harleen has worked and presented on the BAFTA-winning series ‘Scam Interceptors’, Channel 4’s documentary ‘The £12 Million Rental Scam: UNTOLD’ and has made regular appearances on BBC One’s Morning Live. The Everyday Hustle looks at tips and tricks of navigating businesses and entrepreneurship for British Asians and the challenges and wins that come with this.
Harleen Nottay says: “I’m absolutely thrilled to be joining the BBC Asian Network team as the new host of The Everyday Hustle. It’s a real privilege to pick up the mantle and bring fresh conversations to the show – and I’m especially honoured to represent Scottish voices on the network.”
In further changes to the station, Midland based duo Kades and Mr.O will take over the Friday night show (9pm-12am) from DJ Limelight, who will continue to present Asian Network’s New Music Show every Wednesday, 8pm-10pm. Mr.O brings over 15 years of DJing experience, having performed in front of thousands of people and played alongside many global artists on a number of international stages. Mr.O started appearing on Asian Network in early 2025. Making her Asian Network debut, Kades has earned viral recognition for her genre-fluid edits and Asian-inspired remixes, achieving millions of views, and generating a combined following of over 300,000 on TikTok and Instagram. She has also shared her experiences as a woman of mixed heritage in music on platforms such as Cultured Chaos and EmpowerHER.
DJ Limelight says: “I’ve enjoyed over 18 years of doing weekend evening radio here on BBC Asian Network and feel now is a good time for me to move on and pass the weekend baton onto the next DJ. You can still hear me representing the culture on Wednesday evenings with the New Music Show on BBC Asian Network.”
Kades and Mr.O say: “We’re so excited to be joining the Asian Network family and can’t wait to bring our energy to Friday nights! It’s an exciting time for the station, and we’re honoured to be part of the new chapter.”
Ahmed Hussain, Head of Asian Network, says: “We’re entering an exciting new chapter at Asian Network, and I’m thrilled to welcome our new presenters to the team. Jaz Singh’s new afternoon show is a key part of our commitment to celebrating British Asian voices and music culture. His energy and charisma are infectious, and I’m confident he’ll quickly become a familiar and much-loved presence in our listeners’ daily routines.
“It’s also vital that we continue to reflect the diversity of our audiences across the UK, so I’m proud to see new talent joining us from different regions. I can’t wait to hear what Jaz, Harleen, Kades and Mr.O bring to their shows.
“A huge thank you to DJ Limelight for his incredible contribution to Friday nights. We’re delighted he’ll continue to champion new music on Wednesdays.”
These rafts of changes follow on from the network’s move to Birmingham in April 2025, part of the BBC’s Across the UK strategy.
With his nape-prickling vocal-fried whispers switching up to heartfelt roars, Chino Moreno has one of the most distinctive voices in rock history, and he has led Deftones for more than 30 years of cerebral yet mosh-ready alt-metal. As the band release their 10th studio album Private Music, he’ll join us to answer your questions.
Moreno has been there from the very start of Deftones in the late 1980s, playing with two high school friends, guitarist Stephen Carpenter and drummer Abe Cunningham, in a Sacramento, California, garage. The lineup settled in 1993 and they were signed by Madonna’s label Maverick just as the nu-metal sound of Korn was taking off, but while Deftones had a similarly groove-driven style, they set themselves apart from the larky, laddish end of the genre with a dark and dramatic sound – and of course those chilling Moreno vocals.
Third album White Pony was their double-platinum commercial peak and is seen as one of the classics of millennial metal, but the band have kept the quality control high and new generations of fans rolling in, and their most recent albums Gore and Ohms have each earned wide acclaim.
Moreno has found time for a number of side projects – Team Sleep, Palms, Saudade, and a number of releases with industrial pop project Crosses – and next up is the first Deftones album in five years, trailed by gigantic single My Mind Is a Mountain and follow-up Milk of the Madonna. The band will then return in February 2026 to play a series of UK arenas.
Ahead of the album’s release on 22 August, Moreno will join us to answer your questions on anything across his life and career – post them in the comments below before 6pm BST on Wednesday 13 August. His answers will be published online on 21 August and in print in the Film & Music section on 22 August.
Singapore is celebrating its 60th anniversary of independence from British colonial rule on 9 August, a pivotal milestone in its storied modern history, which includes Japanese occupation during the Second World War and a brief merger with neighbouring country Malaysia.
This year’s celebrations, dubbed SG60, include a slew of nation-wide economic incentives, community outreach programmes, as well as an annual parade.
Various cultural institutions across the island are also involved. On 17 July, National Gallery Singapore launched SG60’s signature programme dedicated to Singapore’s art history with Singapore Stories: Pathways and Detours in Art, a long-running exhibition featuring more than 400 works of art and artefacts spanning from the 19th century to the present.
The museum is housed in the former supreme court and city hall buildings with their famed colonial architecture, facing a historic field known as the Padang. Since its inception in 2015, Singapore Stories is the first major rehang of the museum’s key permanent galleries focusing on Singapore’s art history.
An installation view of Singapore Stories: Pathways and Detours in Art at the National Gallery Singapore Image: courtesy of the National Gallery Singapore
Adele Tan, a senior curator at National Gallery Singapore and the lead curator of Singapore Stories, tells The Art Newspaper, “We reduced the exhibition footprint given over to British colonial imagery related to coastal and topographical surveys”, which was part of the first iteration of the permanent gallery.
She also explains that The Esplanade from Scandal Point (1951) by the writer and artist John Turnbull Thomson, who was also the British government surveyor of the Straits Settlements, was placed as the first work in Singapore Stories to provide a “more complex picture of Singapore and representing the multicultural, convivial, polyglottic space at the Padang/Esplanade that was already there in the 19th century.”
Tan says the curatorial team endeavoured to include “a diversity of voices and practices”, such as lesser-known names and works alongside practices by major artists in Singapore,” in an effort to acknowledge “entrenched historiographic systems of recognition.”
Nonetheless, the Singapore museum veteran Kwok Kian Chow, the founding director of Singapore Art Museum and National Gallery Singapore, from 1993 to 2011, believes there is still a “significant disconnection between mid-20th century anticolonial art and subsequent art trends in Singapore.”
According to Kwok, decoloniality in Singapore art is notably disconnected from Global South art trends that deconstruct colonial history on their own terms. He cites the Indonesian contemporary art collective ruangrupa’s work as artistic directors for Documenta 2022 as an example of decoloniality in art from Southeast Asia. In contrast, “decoloniality in Singapore art emerged mainly as part of a global art discourse trend that is still largely led by the West,” he observes.
An installation view of Singapore Stories: Pathways and Detours in Art at the National Gallery Singapore Image: courtesy of the National Gallery Singapore
Syed Muhammad Hafiz, a former co-curator of exhibitions at National Gallery Singapore, agrees: “I think this is largely a reflection of the state of our scholarship in Singapore and goes beyond the discipline of art history.”
According to the curator, if Singapore fails to acknowledge that colonialism resulted in more ruptures than continuities in its cultural history, then the country’s ideas, movements and events will be derivative from the West. On the other hand, he adds, “if you look deeper and beyond, you will know that the polities in this region previously already had their way of doing things and systems of thinking.”
Running since May, the National Museum of Singapore’s Once Upon a Tide: Singapore’s Journey from Settlement to Global City, invites visitors on a journey through the country’s 700-year history, from a bustling 14th-century port to an advanced economy. Alongside virtual projections, 350 artefacts illustrate how the sea and river shaped Singapore’s evolution through a constant flow of people, goods, and ideas from around the world—long before globalisation.
A visitor taking part in the “Sampan Challenge” in the Once Upon a Tide exhibition at the National Museum of Singapore Image: courtesy of the National Museum of Singapore
Meanwhile, the ArtScience Museum, located at the tourist attraction Marina Bay Sands, opened SingaPop! 60 Years of Singapore Pop Culture (until 28 December), curated by the prominent Singapore composer, playwright, and filmmaker Dick Lee.
The exhibition traces the evolution of Singapore’s pop culture from its distinctive Singlish language and hawker food culture to television and music including Lee’s hit song Fried Rice Paradise. The song was originally released in 1974 and formerly banned on national radio for its use of Singlish, cited as improper English at the time. Today, Lee’s SingaPop! exhibition includes a section where visitors can test their Singlish skills.
Lee says, “Singapore’s reputation as a dynamic futuristic city has blossomed in recent years, and the island has been included in many a bucket list. However, little is known about our culture and identity, other than the obvious and visible signs of modernity and multiculturalism. My wish is for SingaPop! to address this in a fun, light-hearted way…”
Dick Lee, the curator of SingaPop! 60 Years of Singapore Pop Culture Image: courtesy of the ArtScience Museum, Marina Bay Sands
Since gaining independence from the British in 1965, Singapore’s cultural institutions have been struggling with a paradox: despite a Western caricature of Singapore as an authoritarian state, a notion persistently popular with leading Western democracies flagrantly enacting their own crackdowns, there also exists a wariness in Singapore’s cultural landscape about antagonising gate-keepers in the West.
As long as Singapore’s arts scene keeps seeking recognition or acknowledgement from Euro-American institutions, “we are still trapped, whether we realise it or not,” Muhammad Hafiz says.
Gauri Krishnan, who was part of the pioneering curatorial team of Singapore’s Asian Civilisations Museum in 1993, asserts that, “In response to the enduring effect of Western colonial hegemony, I would like to see trends arising from the Global South traveling to the West rather than art trends arising always out of the West being adapted in the Global South.”
The lineup has been announced for one of the largest-scale benefit concerts for Palestine since the intensification of conflict after 7 October 2023. It takes place at Wembley Arena in London on 17 September.
Brian Eno is overseeing Together for Palestine, which brings together British and Palestinian artists at the 12,500-capacity venue to raise funds for Choose Love, a British charity working with 23 partner organisations in Gaza to deliver food, medical supplies and other support.
The Palestinian musicians Adnan Joubran, Faraj Suleiman and Nai Barghouti are scheduled to perform alongside Eno and a host of top UK artists: Bastille, Cat Burns, Damon Albarn, Greentea Peng, Hot Chip, James Blake, Jamie xx, King Krule, Mabel, Obongjayar, Paloma Faith, Rachel Chinouriri and Sampha, with “one-off contributions” from Rina Sawayama, PinkPantheress and Riz Ahmed.
Eno said: “In the face of the horrors of Gaza, silence becomes complicity. Artists have always helped societies to point out injustice and imagine better futures. That’s why this concert matters. It’s time for us to come together – not just to raise our voices, but to reaffirm our shared humanity.”
Khaled Ziada, founder and director of the London Palestine film festival, is producing the event alongside Eno and Tracey Seaward, the film producer who also produced the 2012 London Olympic opening ceremony.
Ziada said: “In a world where governments and mainstream media have fallen silent in the face of genocide, this gathering becomes a chorus of resistance – where artists and communities come together to grieve, to rage and to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Palestinian people.”
Singer-songwriter Chinouriri, who supported Sabrina Carpenter on a recent tour, called on other musicians to “join me in building a bridge to victims in Gaza and beyond, we must break through the privilege of our bubble and speak with truth and justice”. Albarn said: “Pacifism is an action. Peace is an action. To live peacefully requires vision and commitment … I am grateful for this opportunity to act in solidarity with the Palestinian people.”
The production design of the event is being handled by Es Devlin, the Olivier and Tony award-winning stage designer who, as well as working in theatre, has designed huge pop shows for the likes of Beyoncé, the Weeknd, U2 and Lady Gaga.
Devlin is collaborating with Palestinian artist Malak Mattar on Together for Palestine, and said the Wembley Arena stage “will express the rich beauty of Palestinian culture”.
Eno has been a longstanding supporter of Palestine and the cultural boycott of Israel.
In 2017 he had a dispute with Nick Cave over the cultural boycott, with Cave characterising the boycott movement as “people that are trying to shut down musicians, to bully musicians, to censor musicians, and to silence musicians”. Eno replied: “This has nothing to do with ‘silencing’ artists – a charge I find rather grating when used in a context where a few million people are permanently and grotesquely silenced.”
Nicolas Louys steps inside the primary suite of an 8,000-square-foot villa in the Seychelles and immediately points to the bed.
“I’m led to believe that we have the biggest mattress in the Indian Ocean. And there’s a story behind it,” he says with a laugh.
Louys is the deputy general manager at North Island, one of the country’s most exclusive resorts. As he looks at the bed, which is more than twice the size of a king mattress, he recalls how an extremely tall guest visited years back and found the existing king-size mattress to be a bit small.
“On his second visit, we personalized his mattress without letting him know and surprised him. And it’s been this size [ever since],” he explains, adding that they change the mattress every five years.
Louys was asked multiple times if this visitor was a professional basketball player. But despite repeated attempts over the course of two days to get him to reveal a name, he doesn’t budge. He responds with mischievous smiles and laughter instead, dodging each question with charm. The island’s non-disclosure agreements bind him to protect guests’ privacy – which is one of the island’s most appealing qualities.
North Island is a luxury resort that aims to find a balance between opulence and the great outdoors. It’s located about 15 minutes away from the Seychelles’ main island by helicopter, which is the preferred mode of transport for guests. The private island has just 11 villas. Ten are nearly 5,000 square feet, but Villa 11 is almost twice as big.
Despite the size, Villa 11, which is also known as Villa North, is meant for two guests. It has only one bedroom, along with a study, private kitchen, plunge pool and multiple outdoor seating areas. Prices for this villa start at 13,000 euros, or approximately $15,000, a night, according to Louys.
Each of the island’s villas come equipped with an iPad and iPhone, which guests can use to call their personal butler for requests both big and small, day or night.
“We say, ‘any venues, any menus, anytime.’ I’ve had guests wake up at four o’clock in the morning and they want have their breakfast. They want to stick with their time zone from back home. So we accommodate it,” Louys says. “If you’re paying that price tag to come to this environment, you expect to… have that service that you experience back home.”
Given the island’s price point, Louys says that many guests are usually either well-known public figures or business executives who are accustomed to private chefs and butlers. Both British and Hollywood royalty have reportedly honeymooned on the North Island, and a number of celebrities have allegedly visited as well.
Louys, of course, can’t confirm either way.
“I’ve read a lot of reports about this kind of information. I’ve read many articles of various high-profile clients being at North Island, but I’m not too sure if they did or not,” he says with a smile.
North Island’s hefty price tag affords guests a luxurious vacation. But it also helps fund the island’s ongoing conservation work.
Long before 11 villas dotted North Island’s beaches, a Seychellois family established a plantation on the island in 1826. For over 100 years, farmers grew a variety of crops and raised livestock. Along with the plants and animals that were purposely imported, invasive species accidentally arrived as well. Eventually, this activity began wreaking havoc on local wildlife.
“They had the brilliant idea of bringing cats over because they thought it’ll kill rats that were obviously a problem for them… but actually the cats quickly jumped on the native birds,” explains Mathilde Le Gressus, North Island’s conservation coordinator.
“And after, they thought: okay, the cats didn’t work, so we can try with an owl – the huge white European owl that we find in Europe. And they also attacked the native birds. So it was just a combination of things that made it worse and worse and worse.”
Throughout this period, the plantation’s main crop was dried coconut, known as copra. As the copra industry began to collapse in the 1970s, the farm was abandoned, leaving domestic animals running wild. This phenomenon wasn’t unique to North Island – similar stories echoed across the country.
In 1997, a South African company and private shareholders purchased North Island, intending to both revive its biodiversity and develop a luxury resort. This coincided with a national island restoration program, in which the government partnered with non-profit organizations and private islands. The coalition worked towards removing invasive species, paving the way for native plants and animals to make a comeback.
North Island symbolically called its conservation program the Noah’s Ark Project, which is fully financed by the resort’s revenue. After a yearslong effort to eradicate rats, the team slowly began reintroducing endangered wildlife. Today, sea turtles nest on the shores. Aldabra Tortoises roam freely. And hundreds of birds that were once on the verge of extinction chirp away in the trees.
This symbiotic relationship between luxury tourism and conservation is a growing trend, according to Xavier Font, a professor of sustainability marketing at the University of Surrey, in the UK. There is always potential for greenwashing in this space, Professor Font explains, along with concerns such as carbon emissions from flights and displacing local communities. But he’s quick to point out the many ways in which high-end properties can benefit the environment if managed correctly.
“We can always look at this and be critical, but what could happen to some of those locations had they not been managed in this way?” Font says. “Would it be better if there was no tourism at all? Or would it be better if there was another type of tourism, maybe more volume of tourism?”
Back at Villa 11, Louys points out handmade glassware from the Netherlands that decorates the room. He highlights the Hermès toiletries. And at the foot of the bed, he presses a button hidden on what appears to be an upholstered storage bench, giving rise to flatscreen TV.
Each villa comes equipped with a personal golf cart, and the following day, Louys hops in his own. He’s searching for the island’s local celebrity, an Aldabra Tortoise named Brutus.
In 2003, the Noah’s Ark Project brought 15 of these giant tortoises to join the few that survived North Island’s plantation. About 170 roam the island today. Most tend to stay in a particular spot, but Louys explains that Brutus likes to wander everywhere. Because of his adventurous spirit, he’s had a few accidental run-ins with golf carts and now wears small white reflectors on his shell so drivers can see him at night.
These reptiles can live for well over a century. Louys says Brutus is at least 150, meaning he’s witnessed both the island’s farm and restoration. He’s also met many of the island’s well-known guests over the years. And given Louys’ professionalism and commitment to privacy, curious visitors have a better chance of getting Brutus to spill the beans than anyone else.
“He has seen all of the famous and non-famous [people] that have stayed with us,” Louys says with a chuckle as he pats the tortoise’s head. “And if you manage to convince him, he will tell you all the stories.”
Marvel fans have been given their first look at Zendaya back in the role of MJ for Spider-Man: Brand New Day, thanks to new set photos from the upcoming Phase 6 film.
The images mark her return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe after the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Filming for Brand New Day began in early August, with Tom Holland the only cast member seen on set until now.
The newly surfaced shots feature MJ and Peter Parker visiting Aunt May’s grave who died in the previous instalment. Whether MJ remembers Peter after the memory-erasing events of No Way Home remains uncertain.
While industry reports indicate Zendaya’s role will be smaller this time, her character could still have key moments in the story. Even a few scenes may hold emotional significance if they explore her lingering connection with Peter.
The set photos also spark speculation about the nature of their meeting. MJ may be at the cemetery for her own reasons, crossing paths with Peter unexpectedly, adding a layer of mystery to her part in the narrative.
Zendaya is balancing her Marvel commitments with filming Dune: Part Three, making her Brand New Day appearance notable for fans following both franchises.
Alison Brie weighs in on the revived ‘Scream’ franchise
Alison Brie, known for her role as Rebecca Walters in Scream 4, has shared her thoughts on the revived franchise.
In a recent appearance on the Shut Up Evan Podcast with her husband Dave Franco, Brie jokingly asked about her potential return to the franchise, referencing the infamous “new Scream rules” that allow characters to come back from the dead.
Franco sparked the conversation, saying, “I feel like with new Scream rules, even though she dies brutally, we could bring her back.” Brie responded with a smile, “Yeah, where’s my role in Scream 7?”
The couple’s discussion highlights the franchise’s tendency to resurrect characters, including Matthew Lillard’s Stu Macher, David Arquette’s Dewey Riley, and Scott Foley’s Roman Bridger, who will all return for the seventh installment.
Brie shared her thoughts on the current state of the Scream franchise, stating, “My problem with the current era of the Scream franchise is that too many people live.” She jokingly suggested that the core four characters should die, saying, “The core four needs to die! … We should be down to two of the core four by Scream 7.”
Franco chimed in, referencing Dewey’s death in the previous film, which Brie called a “mistake.”
Scream 7 is set to hit theaters on February 27, 2026, and will be directed by Kevin Williamson, the original writer of the franchise.
The film will also see the return of Neve Campbell’s Sidney Prescott, who wasn’t in the last installment, Scream VI. With the franchise’s history of unexpected twists and turns, fans are eagerly anticipating what’s in store for the next chapter.
Gaypalani Waṉambi grew up surrounded by art, with her family home in north-eastern Arnhem Land doubling as a studio where her parents and siblings painted on bark and wooden poles. In her late teens, she started assisting her father, esteemed artist Mr W Waṉambi, who taught her how to paint the clan’s ancient designs, using traditional materials such as ochre. As he branched into more experimental forms such as animation and etching on metal, she too began to experiment with these new mediums.
On Friday night, the Yolŋu woman was awarded the $100,000 top prize at the 42nd National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art awards (Natsiaas), one of Australia’s richest and most prestigious art prizes, for an artwork that honoured his legacy while forging her own path.
Waṉambi’s work was among seven winners across categories ranging from bark painting to multimedia, with six of the awards won by women, including senior Pitjantjatjara artist Iluwanti Ken, who won the painting award. Each category winner receives $15,000.
Gaypalani’s winning work, Burwu, blossom, is a shimmering large-scale depiction of one of her clan’s ancient songlines, etched on to the back of discarded metal road signs Photograph: Natsiaa
Gaypalani’s winning work, Burwu, blossom, is a shimmering large-scale depiction of one of her clan’s ancient songlines, etched on to the back of discarded metal road signs; a powerful fusion of ancient stories and knowledge with contemporary technologies and materials, and a tribute the cultural inheritance passed down by her father.
Created on a 3 sq metre assemblage of 15 metal road signs, the artwork’s surface depicts hundreds of stringybark blossoms and thousands of bees, referencing the songline of Wuyal, the honey hunter – an important ancestor for the Marrakulu clan. Viewing the etched illustrations from different angles, they seem to shimmer with movement – like the vibrating of tiny wings.
The back of the work is a collage of red and yellow road signs: “DETOUR” reads one; “ROAD CLOSED AHEAD”, another.
In a joint statement, the judging panel – Yamatji curator Stephen Gilchrist, Meriam artist Gail Mabo, and Bundjalung, Muruwari and Kamilaroi artist and researcher Brian Martin – described Burwu, blossom as “an exceptional work that visually and materially explores different relationships to and understandings of Country”, saying: “Each jewel-like panel shimmers with exquisitely rendered designs that are deeply anchored to Yolŋu philosophies.”
In Yolŋu culture, sacred designs are passed down by knowledge holders to the younger generations. For a long time it passed between men, but from the 1970s onwards senior men began to teach their daughters. Gaypalani’s father taught her to paint the miny’tji for the clan’s saltwater stories, and she assisted him in creating the detailed depictions of schools of wawurritjpal (sea-mullets) he was renowned for. He also taught her the designs for the freshwater Wuyal songline.
Gaypalani Waṉambi, pictured with her winning work. Photograph: Charlie Bliss
“I showed these designs to him, to my father – my paintings of the honey,” Gaypalani said in a prerecorded statement in Yolŋu Matha. “That is when he told me ‘Great! You will take this design now as your own. And you will paint this when I am no more.”
Mr Waṉambi died unexpectedly in 2022, aged 59. Writing about the Wuyal songline for the landmark international exhibition Madayin, which he co-curated, Mr Waṉambi wrote: “When we see the flowers blossoming, we sing dhaŋarra, and it reminds us of all the spirits of the people who have gone before us and will bloom again.”
Gaypalani’s etchings on metal are part of the found-art movement that has blossomed in Yirrkala in recent years, spearheaded by artists such as Gunybi Ganambarr. Fuelled by a spirit of innovation, these artists started using discarded road signs and detritus from mining operations as canvases, etching designs on to their surfaces.
Gaypalani is the only Yolŋu woman, so far, to make art in this medium.
Iluwanti Ken’s Walawuru Tjurkpa (Eagle story), winner of the 2025 general painting category. Photograph: Georgina Campbell/MAGNT
A spirit of innovation was present across this year’s finalists, which are now all on show at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT) in Garramilla/Darwin.
“I think the Natsiaas provide a platform for people to try something new; to experiment and push their practice a bit further,” says Kate ten Buuren, a Taungurung artist and curator who worked with Keith Munro, the Museum of Contemporary Art’s director of First Nations art and cultures, and Balanggarra artist Karen Mills to select this year’s 71 finalists from more than 200 entries.
Jahkarli Felicitas Romanis’ work Pitta Pitta (Extracted) (left) and Pitta Pitta (Google’s Gaze), which won the 2025 multimedia category. The photographs are freeze frames from Google Earth that show the transition from aerial view to street view on Pitta Pitta Country. Photograph: Mark Sherwood/MAGNT
The winner of the multimedia category, Jahkarli Felicitas Romanis, a Naarm/Melbourne-based photographer of Pitta Pitta descent, experimented with Google Earth mapping and visualisation tools to create distorted images of Pitta Pitta Country for her winning diptych: Pitta Pitta (Extracted) and Pitta Pitta (Google’s Gaze).
“Mapping has historically been used as a tool of power and control, and it’s a really detached way of connecting to place,” Romanis said. “We never connect with place in that way. It’s always feet on the ground.”
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Naomi Hobson’s photograph Present & Beyond, which won the Natsiaa work on paper category. Photograph: Georgina Campbell/MAGNT
Naomi Hobson, hailing from the tiny riverside community of Coen, Cape York, won this year’s work on paper award for her photo Present and Beyond, which shows a teenage boy relaxing by the river. While it appears carefully staged, Hobson said she took the photo moments after seeing him playing with his younger brothers and a wooden boat, and he chose the pose himself.
It’s a stark contrast to how Hobson’s ancestors were photographed. “There’s old photos of my great-grandfather, and what was done for him to be in that photo wasn’t comfortable, it wasn’t nice,” she said. “And so I wanted to respond to that, and say [to the people I photograph]: this is your image. You own it. You take ownership of it.”
Her Natsiaa win is more than just a personal achievement, she added: “It’s not just me. It’s his win. It’s his celebration as well as his family’s … this is a celebration for all of us, for all the families, the community, for all the young people out there that can look at this image and know that they can achieve their goals and dreams and be proud of themselves.”
The Natsiaa exhibition is on at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory until 26 January 2026
Dee Jefferson covered the Natsiaas as a guest of NT Tourism
The full list of 2025 Natsiaa winners
Telstra Art award: Burwu, blossom by Gaypalani Waṉambi, Yolŋu Matha language, lives in Yirrkala, Northern Territory
General painting award: Walawuru Tjurkpa (Eagle story) by Iluwanti Ken, Pitjantjatjara language, lives in Amata community, South Australia
Bark painting award: Bawáliba & Ngalyod by Lucy Yarawanga, Gurr-Goni language, lives in Maningrida, NT
Work on paper award: Present & Beyond by Naomi Hobson, Southern Kaantju and Umpila languages, lives in Coen, Cape York, Queensland
Wandjuk Marika Memorial 3D award: Ngalkodjek Yawkyawk by Owen Yalandja, Kuninjku language, lives in Maningrida, NT
Multimedia award: Pitta Pitta (Extracted) and Pitta Pitta (Google’s Gaze) by Jahkarli Felicitas Romanis, Pitta Pitta language, lives in Naarm (Melbourne)
Emerging artist award: Mat by Sonia Gurrpulan Guyula, Djambarrpuyngu language, lives in Dhondji Homeland, NT
There is a saying in Sanskrit – ‘Ati Sarvatra Varjayet.’ Loosely translated into English, it means, too much of anything is harmful! Currently, that indicates too many spy thrillers! Like, I am literally 10 minutes away from surrendering if I am introduced to any more Spy Universe any further. The latest one is Naveen Kasturia and Mouni Roy, infiltrating Pakistan amidst a nuclear mission in this spy thriller titled Salakaar!
Created and directed by Faruk Kabir, this web series seems to be a film that was later very badly edited into five episodes to accomodate the space of a web series, no idea why! Even the trailer felt like a film but it was later revealed to be a web series!
Any which way, film or web series, all of them have a basic need to fulfil – good storyline and even better writing. Salakaar ticks the first box but surrenders to the latter! The basic premise is intriguing, timeline builds up the anticipation well in the first 20 minutes but then the entire series crashes and dilapidates with only ruins remaining! You cannot even rebuild them, it is that disturbed!
Salakaar Review: Naveen Kasturia Impresses In A Vague Show! ( Photo Credit – YouTube )
Salakaar Review: What’s It About:
The story of Salakaar is dissected into two time frames – 2025, where a RAW agent, Maryam alias Srishti, played by Mouni Roy, is trying to know about a plan by Pakistani Colonel Ashfaqullah (Surya Sharma) that involves the making of a nuclear bomb. She is being aided by a Salakaar – National Security Advisor Purnendu Sharma, who has links with the Pak Colonel.
The second timeline reveals that the NSA is Naveen Kasturia, a RAW Agent, working in Pakistan with the alias Dayal Sharma, trying to stop Pakistani General Zia, played by Mukesh Rishi, from making a nuclear reactor. So, this is the basic premise of this web series, which makes a lot of sense, but that is it. Beyond this point, this series did not make any sense, making Pakistan look like an absolutely stupid nation, if I may say so!
Salakaar Review: What Works:
The biggest win of Salakaar is its length – 5 episodes of 30 minutes each. Not because it turns into a gripping tale, but only because one can thank them that this ended! The basic problem in Faruk Kabir’s film-turned-series is the lazy writing. The attempt to create a jingoistic vibe is so childish that it simply shows the neighboring country as stupid. Period! It is such a juvenile attempt that after a certain point I seriously want to chant Hindustan Zindabad and get done with this once and for all!
Salakaar Review: A Spy Thriller That Forgets To Spy! ( Photo Credit – YouTube )
Salakaar Review: Star Performance:
Coming to the characters, as the young protagonist, Kasturia is the heart of the series. He delivers a committed, quiet, and intense performance, trying his best to inject life into a poorly written character. However, it is Mukesh Rishi as the Pakistani General, who holds this show, for whatever timeframe he can hold. He brings an authority that the entire show desperately needs but fails to achieve! The biggest disappointment here is Mouni Roy’s Sakshi! And I exactly pointed out the issue, why!
Salakaar Review: What Doesn’t Work:
The web series promised a gripping, intelligent cat-and-mouse chase game between India and Pakistan’s intel teams. However, what it delivered was a masterclass in missed opportunities and how not to create a Spy Thriller! Because the basic element missing in this thriller is the thrill itself. In fact, it is exhausting to watch a strong concept die a slow death under the weight of shoddy writing, predictable cliches, and a fundamental misunderstanding of the genre – thriller. There are too many spies, but the thrill has already been explored previously in Mission Majnu, properly in the exact manner, so much so that it is a replica of Raazi on a fundamental level.
The 1978 timeline, while more engaging and historically inspired, quickly gives way to juvenile plot points and a script that often borders on the absurd. Characters make baffling, illogical decisions. The plot, at times, is so focused on ridiculing Pakistan that it loses all sense. Also, I am so done with female spies being used as sex bombs to make Pakistani Generals go weak on their knees! I mean, seriously?! Even if it happens, it is disgusting and so discomforting to watch on screen! I mean, imagine a female RAW officer not using her intellect but her body to get things done! In which Universe is this 50 Shades of Grey taking place?
Salakaar Review: Mouni Roy Disappoints As A Secret Agent! ( Photo Credit – YouTube )
Salakaar Review: Last Words:
Salakaar is a Spy thriller that forgot to spy and was too lazy to deliver a thrill! And it is heartbreaking to watch a good premise go for a toss and a talented cast wasted! A cast that was on a mission not to deliver content, while I was on a mission not to sleep till I surrendered!
1.5 star
For more such reviews of web shows, stay tuned to Koimoi.
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