Art of the Desert

Overview

This issue features works by artists from the Western Desert region. Two were associated with the Warlayirti Artists in Balgo, Western Australia (Boxer Milner and Eubena Nampitjin) and two with the artists’ cooperative at Papunya Tula, Northern Territory (Fred Ward Tjungurrayi and Walter Tjampitjinpa).

Warlayirti Artists is an Aboriginal owned and governed, not-for-profit organisation that supports the cultural traditions of the Wirrimanu (Balgo), Kururrrungku (Billiluna) and Mulan communities. Established in 1987, Warlayirti Artists represents more than 200 artists across these three communities, which are in the Kutjungka region of Western Australia.

Papunya is a settlement 240 kilometres north-west of Alice Springs. The Papunya Tula Art Movement began in 1971 when a teacher encouraged some men to paint a blank school wall. This triggered substantial community interest, and many of the men continued their new-found interest in painting. In 1972, the artists established their own company, which represents 120 artists and is now entirely owned and directed by traditional Aboriginal people from the Western Desert, predominantly of the Luritja/Pintupi language groups.

Technical specifications