Injalak Arts, Gunbalanya. Photo: Injalak Arts, Facebook
Injalak Arts – Gunbalanya, West Arnhem Land, Northern Territory
The idea for Injalak Arts began in 1986 when a teacher named Wendy Kennedy started a screenprinting group in Gunbalanya as part of the Duke of Edinburgh's Award program. The group quickly moved into printed fabrics, bags, and clothing. In 1988 they received $500,000 in Commonwealth Government funding to build a permanent centre, and Injalak Arts was incorporated on 12 April 1989. Critical in those early years was senior painter Thompson Yulidjirri, who mentored younger artists and helped establish Injalak as a place for the transmission of cultural knowledge. In Kunwinjku, the language of most artists, the word injalak means shelter.
The art centre is located in Gunbalanya, an Aboriginal community of around 1,200 people approximately 300 kilometres east of Darwin in West Arnhem Land. Today it has over 200 active members, representing Kunwinjku, Mengerrdji, Erre, and other Arnhem Land language groups. Artists work on bark and paper using natural ochres, produce pandanus fibre weavings, wood carvings, etchings, screenprinted textiles, and jewellery. The work continues the West Arnhem Land rock art tradition, and many paintings depict animals in the x-ray style, showing internal organs and bone structures. The rarrk (cross-hatching) technique, painted with a manyilk brush made from a shaved sedge stalk, is a defining feature of the style. One kilometre across the floodplain from the art centre is Injalak Hill, one of the most significant rock art sites in the world. Injalak artists have guided tours of the hill since the centre opened.
Injalak Arts at a glance
- Location: Gunbalanya (Oenpelli), West Arnhem Land NT, approximately 300km east of Darwin
- Language groups: Kunwinjku, Mengerrdji, Erre and other Arnhem Land groups
- Established: 1989
- Art forms: Bark painting with natural ochres, works on paper, pandanus fibre weaving, wood carving, screenprinted textiles, etchings, jewellery
- Rock art tours: Guided tours of Injalak Hill available; bookings via rockart@injalak.com
- Getting there: Permit required to enter Arnhem Land; obtain through the Northern Land Council before visiting
