ECHOING BACK AND FORTH
One of most significant artistic movements to emerge from Australia in the twentieth century, the Western Desert Art Movement is a key part of our nation’s cultural history, garnering considerable international acclaim and reshaping the way Aboriginal art has been understood and received.
WORDS RITA HORANYI
HELD AT MIDPUL Art Gallery at CDU, and curated by Bundjalung artist, writer and curator, Djon Mundine OAM FAHA, Three Echoes – Western Desert Art brings together some of the most influential artists and works from the first 30 years of this movement.
“His eye and his knowledge of the artists and the works has brought together what is really an incredible exhibition,” says Chair of Midpul Art Gallery at CDU, Janet Parfenovics.
“We are so lucky to have some of these works, because it’s rare that they come together or are made available for tour.”
You’re invited to embark on an immersive visual journey through desert Country and through the development of the movement, with the exhibition exploring key moments or echoes that responded to the original creative experimentation that emerged from the Papunya Government Settlement in the 1970s.
These echoes came from Ikuntji/Haasts Bluff and Utopia in particular, but also travelled all around the globe, even reaching Danish artists, Karin Schack and Andrew Arnott, whose private collection works on display have been drawn from.
Key pieces by 57 artists are on exhibit, ranging from intimate works to complex larger pieces and exquisite batiks. Some renowned artists featured include Billy Stockman Tjapaltjarri, Turkey Tolson Tjupurrula, and Emily Kame Kngwarreye. Known as one of Australia’s most celebrated contemporary artists, Kngwarreye’s work is exhibited through three distinct paintings, giving viewers an insight into the breadth and diversity of her artistry.
The exhibition, on tour from Museums & Galleries Queensland, is accompanied by a free publication, as well as educational materials for school groups. Curator Djon Mundine, who lived and worked in the Territory running Bula'bula Arts in Ramingining for many years, also presents a free public talk for those keen to delve deeper into the history of this significant movement, one that transformed art in this country.
Three Echoes – Western Desert Art
WHEN WED 29 OCT – SAT 28 FEB | OPENING WED 29 OCT, 6.15PM
Curator Talk – Three Echoes
WHEN THU 30 OCT | 11AM-12PM
AT MIDPUL ART GALLERY
INFO cdu.edu.au
Image: Dr George Tjapaltjarri (born c.1930 – 2017), 'Puli-puru-tjunku', 1977, synthetic polymer powder paint on composition board, 56x41cm. Photo: Mark Ashkanasy. © Dr George Tjapaltjarri l Aboriginal Artists Agency Ltd.
