What’s on

Beauty and the Beasts, Talapi Alice Springs, March 11

BEAUTY AND THE BEASTS

To the untrained eye, the vast desert landscape in central Australia can appear a lonely, isolated and still place. However, a multitude of creatures, beasts and spirits inhabit the central desert.

In Talapi‘s first exhibition for 2016, we pay homage to the creatures that inhabit these places: the Snakes, ngintaka, emus, owls and budgies that are among the creatures that determine ancestral stories.

From the realm of the imagination, Tiger Yaltangki conjures mamus, friendly spirits and wild animals. Iluwanti Ken’s ancestral story of the hungry eagle devouring small animals to feed her chicks compliments Carlene Thompson’s paintings of plump birds, perfect for the table.

Karen Napaltjarri Barnes’ brightly dappled canvases mimic the flickering of coloured light as flocks of birds race across the sky. Conway Ginger captures the essence creatures in ink and wash on paper and the Ngurratjuta watercolour artists locate their creatures in the magnificent West MacDonnell Ranges.

New works from Hermannsburg Potters and Yarrenyty Arltere will delight with their brightly festooned sculptures.

Exhibition opens 11 March, 6PM.

Vanessa Inkamala, Tjuritja (West MacDonnell Ranges, NT)
Vanessa Inkamala, Tjuritja (West MacDonnell Ranges, NT)

NMA’s acquisition of Benita Clements’ works

The year has started nicely for Benita Clements (great granddaughter of Albert Namatjira), who’s watercolours have been acquired by The National Museum of Australia (NMA)!

Albert Namatjira and his sons paining on country near Ntaria (Hermannsburg)
Albert Namatjira and his sons paining on country near Ntaria (Hermannsburg)
Ntaria (Hermannsburg) in the old days
Ntaria (Hermannsburg) in the old days
Finke River Mission, old days. People from the Hermannsburg Community going to church in the middle there is a water tank, and on the side it's the white fellows house. The people shake hands in the church when it's finished.
Finke River Mission, old days. People from the Hermannsburg Community going to church in the middle there is a water tank, and on the side it’s the white fellows house. The people shake hands in the church when it’s finished.
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The Namatjira Family. Benita & Ricky learning how to paint from their Auntie Lenie Namatjira at Ngurratjuta Many Hands Art Centre.
Benita Clements at the art centre.
Benita Clements at the art centre.

A Hermannsburg Christmas – on now in Singapore!

ReDot Fine Art Gallery is extremely honoured to be hosting a first ever show by the community art centre of Ngurratjuta Iltja Ntjarra, better known as Many Hands Arts, which has become famous for its production of sublime watercolours of the Australian outback in the style known as the “Hermannsburg School”. This continues the tradition of the great Arrernte artist, and possibly the most famous 20th century Australian watercolourist, Albert Namatjira.

In a salon hang which promises to be a spectacular finale to the 2015 exhibition programme at ReDot Fine Art Gallery’s new Old Hill Street Police Station premises, ‘A Hermannsburg Christmas’ will be a collection of over 40 delicate watercolours, crafted by nine of the more senior artists of the cooperative, all direct family descendants of the great Albert Namatjira.

The exhibition begins on Wednesday 25th November and runs until Thursday 31st December 2015 and will be the perfect opportunity to find your loved ones that “special” Christmas present. Your way of saying thank you for being there to the ones you love. Hell why not treat yourself too for seeing out yet another challenging year and looking forward to a better, brighter and fun filled 2016!

This is a must-see show for anyone interested in following the recent developments in Indigenous Art and an opportunity to better understand the work being produced by one of Australia’s finest community based Indigenous art projects.

ReDot Gallery