The Desart Radar Spring 2023

Art, words and photos from Central Australian Aboriginal Art Centres

Quarterly edition, Spring 2023

THE DESART RADAR

Big Mob Animals

“I’m making mob animals. I bin put em up. Paint that dingo, camel, bullock. Big mob animals.

Ngayaku nyakunytjaku tjana ngura nyarangka walpala tjutangku. Palyana wangkanyi ngayulu. Ini Aaronanya. Palyao.”

Lots of people are going to see my paintings at that place [Melbourne]. I’m feeling happy talking for this. My name is Aaron. Thank you.

Aaron Pei Pie is an emerging artist from Kaltukatjara in the Pitjantjatjara lands of the Northern Territory. His abstracted landscapes, filled with depictions of animals that live in the Kaltukatjara region, ask the audience to suspend reality in order to dive into the joyous playfulness of his work. Aaron held his first solo exhibition of artworks at Brunswick Street Gallery in Melbourne in July.

Image: Aaron Pei Pie in Kaltukatjara 2023 by Martin Queulo. Courtesy of Tjarlirli and Kaltukatjara Art.

Martumili Artists – ‘Mirrka’ Painting

Collaborative paintings are often more about the process and the message they carry rather than the final outcome. Whilst the finished painting is important, the real work of these artworks happens in the making. They have an ability to cross generations, to foster knowledge sharing and act as reference points for further conversations and investigations, this is where their true value lies. The wantimili (women’s) collaborative Mirka (bushfoods) painting is no different. Started in 2021 on a women’s bush food and medicine camp, it has travelled the desert from Parnngurr to Punmu, Kunawarratji and back to Newman. It is a painting created to share knowledge, and is the embodiment of the Martu concept of kujungka (meaning ’all together in one, or ‘working together’). Over the past 2 years 34 women have come together to add their knowledge and stories to the canvas.

The first camp, Yulpu, a large soak located within the McKay Ranges, just south of Parnngurr was where the base layer (the map for the canvas) was created. The canvas then travelled to Punmu where a similar camp was held. It then went to Parnngurr where there was so much conversation about particular plants that brushes would be put down and swapped for an afternoon looking for plants. As much as the painting had become about the learning process, there was still an underlying desire to bring it all together into a cohesive artwork- the marks of 34 women into a singular visual voice. Many of the older artists had experience working on large-scale collaborative paintings. In their wisdom sitting side by side with the young ones, they guided the painting into completionwith an astute eye guiding the sections that needed more attention, and indicating when the work was done.

The 3 metre long ‘Mirrka’ painting holds the marks of artists who have established careers, and others for whom it was their very first time painting. A painting rooted in its process of education, but one that also sits strongly in its final visual outcome. Traditional ecological knowledge of plant properties is encyclopaedic, with plants used for purposes as diverse as food resources, carving implements, tobacco, firewood, shelter construction, and bush medicines. Today that knowledge is still strong and ongoing. As lifestyles have shifted, sharing valuable knowledge of plants continues to play a vital role in Martu people’s lives. It represents connection and responsibility to Country, and ultimately survival.

Image: Martumili Bushfood Camp at Yulpu. Courtesy of Martumili Artists.

IKUNTJI debut at Australian Fashion Week 2023

‘The ancestors were with us on that runway. We didn’t walk alone.’ (Artist Kelly Dixon said after the show.)

In May this year, Ikuntji Artists presented their debut solo show at Afterpay Australian Fashion Week (AAFW), becoming the first Aboriginal Art Centre ever to present an individual showcase.

The show was a community-led initiative highlighting the incredible talents and cultural heritage of the artists of the Western Desert. Showcasing 26 looks by 16 artists and 7 makers, the collection blended traditional Indigenous art with contemporary fashion.

It was such an important moment for the art centre and a powerful celebration that ended with a historic standing ovation.

‘We hope the collection inspires people to connect with our art and create their own meaningful pieces with our fabrics and support our artists.’

Image: Ikuntji Artists debut solo show at Afterpay Australian Fashion Week 2023.

Photography by Rob Hookey, courtesy of Ikuntji Artists.

Kangkwerrama - Respectfully Take Notice

The Iltja Ntjarra artists have dedicated decades of committed artistic practice to the respectful and close study of their Country. These works bring viewers into this practice of Kangkwerrama or respectfully taking notice. For those unfamiliar with Central Australian landscape, the works are captivating depictions of beautiful landscapes vastly different to the concrete jungles of the coastal urban cities. The messages they convey command attention, reworking the words of the colonial state to speak plainly and clearly, to demand respect for Country, its stories and people.

This project has involved both senior and emerging artists based in Mparntwe (Alice Springs) and Ntaria Community (Hermannsburg) 120km west of Mparntwe. Artists involved are Vanessa Inkamala, Dianne Inkamala, Mandy Malbunka, Selma Coulthard, Kathy Inkamala, Kathleen France, Ada Lechleitner, Reinhold Inkamala, Mervyn Rubuntja, Benita Clements, Betty Namatjira Wheeler, Delray Inkamala and Dellina Inkamala have worked together to showcase a powerful body of works on repurposed road signs that relate to the Country they belong to and to which they have family connections.

Images: Install shots at Arthouse Gallery. Courtesy of Iltja Ntjarra Artists.

Rebuilding SAM for the Future

Stories Art Money (SAM) is Desart’s very own online artwork management system for Aboriginal and Torres Straits Island art centres. SAM is very widely used and is now helping 107 art centres across Australia.

Big changes in technology and the art market means SAM needs to be updated. Rather than just an update, Desart is using this opportunity to rebuild SAM completely to improve the platform’s functionality and user experience.

A rebuilt SAM will help deliver improved performance and stability – especially for locations with limited internet access. Searching and loading information will be faster, and data security will be improved. Best of all, a new user interface and design will make SAM easier to learn and use for everyone!

Desart have partnered with Symplicit to rebuild SAM. Symplicit are experts in usability design and together we are engaging with art centres using SAM throughout Australia and their staff (SAM users) to help co-design solutions and improvements. SAM users will have an active role in design, testing, and will assist in the training programs.

The funding was generously provided by the IVAIS program, Federal Government to ensure that this essential art centre tool is future proofed.

The SAM rebuild will be finalised in 2024. The current version of SAM will not be affected during the rebuild.

For further information or feedback contact: rebuild@sam.org.au

Image: Ngaaparrku-Ngaaparrku (two-way), linguist Tom Ennever & Helicopter Tjungurrayi on Country, 2021. Photo: Lucinda White.

Image: Map of the 107 Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander art centres using the SAM Platform.

Artworkers give Arlpwe Art Gallery a facelift!

Arlpwe Art and Culture Centre’s arts workers have been hard at work updating the gallery. With a fresh white paint job and professional hanging system, the installation of our new gallery lighting is the last piece of the puzzle to have Arlpwe Art Gallery up and running as a fully functioning exhibition space, showcasing the latest works by the Arlpwe Artists as well as pieces in the Arlpwe Collection.

After years of COVID-interrupted gallery operations, we are excited to be open to the community and to the public from 10am-4pm Monday to Thursday or by appointment

Image: Gallery view. Courtesy of Arlpwe Art and Culture Centre.

Image: Sisters Sarah Holmes Nabangardi and Jessie Simpson Nabangardi with their portrait painted by artist Bevil Staley. Courtesy of Arlpwe Art and Culture Centre.

Key dates

7 September Desert Mob Desert Mob opening (Exhibition and public programs 7 Sept – 22 Oct)

8 September Desert Mob Symposium

9 September Desert Mob Market Place

20-22 October Tarnanthi Art Fair

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