Eubena Nampitjin, Kinyu, 2007. Image: Warlayirti Artists
Warlayirti Artists, Wirrimanu (Balgo), Kutjungka Region, Western Australia
In 1981, senior men at the Balgo mission painted a set of church banners to mark the jubilee of German missionary Father Peile. None of them had chosen to be christened. The banners launched a painting movement, and five years later the landmark exhibition Art from the Great Sandy Desert at the Art Gallery of Western Australia, curated by Michael O'Ferrall, brought Balgo art to national attention. Warlayirti Artists was established in 1987 as a result, one of the first desert art centres to open in Western Australia. It is located in the community of Wirrimanu (Balgo) in the southeast Kimberley, on the edge of the Great Sandy and Tanami Deserts, approximately 350km along the Tanami Track from the Great Northern Highway near Halls Creek.
The art centre represents more than 200 artists across four communities in the Kutjungka region: Wirrimanu (Balgo), Kururrungka (Billiluna), Mulan and Kundat Djaru (Ringer Soak). Eight language groups are represented: Kukatja, Ngardi, Djaru, Warlpiri, Walmajarri, Wangkajunga, Pintupi and Manyjiljarra. Balgo was among the first group of desert artists to embrace a broad palette of colours, and the resulting style, with its luminous yellows, oranges, reds and bold brushwork, is among the most recognisable in Australian Aboriginal art. Eubena Nampitjin (c.1921–2013), a senior Wangkajunga law woman, is held in all major Australian national collections including the National Gallery of Australia, the National Gallery of Victoria and the Art Gallery of NSW. Boxer Milner Tjampitjin (c.1934–2009), a Jaru senior lawman and custodian of the Purkitji (Sturt Creek) area, is known for paintings depicting the passage of temporary creek systems through country. The archive at Warlayirti holds 35 years of cultural material.
Boxer Milner Tjampitjin, Purkitji, 2003. Image: Warlayirti Artists
Warlayirti Artists at a glance
- Location: Wirrimanu (Balgo), Kutjungka region, southeast Kimberley, Western Australia
- Language groups: Kukatja, Ngardi, Djaru, Warlpiri, Walmajarri, Wangkajunga, Pintupi, Manyjiljarra
- Established: 1987, following the 1986/87 Art Gallery of Western Australia exhibition Art from the Great Sandy Desert
- Communities served: Wirrimanu (Balgo), Kururrungka (Billiluna), Mulan, Kundat Djaru (Ringer Soak)
- Art forms: Acrylic painting, works on paper, silk scarf dyeing, glass, prints, multimedia
- Notable artists: Eubena Nampitjin (c.1921–2013), Boxer Milner Tjampitjin (c.1934–2009), Sunfly Tjampitjin, Helicopter Tjungurrayi, Lucy Yukenbarri, Elizabeth Nyumi
- Collections: National Gallery of Australia, National Gallery of Victoria, Art Gallery of NSW, Art Gallery of WA, Museum and Art Gallery of the NT; major international collections
- Getting there: 350km via the Tanami Track from the Great Northern Highway, 5km south of Halls Creek; 4WD recommended
