Yinjaa-Barni Art: Yindjibarndi Artists, Roebourne, Pilbara, WA
The group came together in a hall at the back of Roebourne's Pilbara Aboriginal Church in 2005 for a TAFE sewing course. When the sewing units ran out, their teacher Patricia Floyd suggested they try painting. At first, the artists didn't think they could paint. Two elders, Clifton Mack and Maudie Jerrold, had some earlier painting experience at Pilbara TAFE. The rest began from scratch. In 2007 the group incorporated as Yinjaa-Barni Art and moved to Dalgety House, a heritage-listed cottage on the main street of Roebourne on the banks of the Harding River, where the art centre operates today at 48 Roe Street. Yinjaa-Barni means "staying together" in Yindjibarndi. The artists predominantly belong to the Yindjibarndi language group, whose ancestral homelands surround the Fortescue River and Millstream Tablelands in the Pilbara.
Up to three generations of women work together in Yinjaa-Barni's open studio with wide verandas, each with a strongly individual style. While artists work side by side, often as close relatives, their paintings are strikingly distinct: some use knives, some forks, some trim their brushes in particular ways. All the work draws on stories of Yindjibarndi country, waterholes, campsites, wildflowers, and plant life. The collective has won multiple major awards at the Cossack Art Award, the largest regional art award in Australia. Yinjaa-Barni is a not-for-profit Aboriginal Corporation governed by its own Aboriginal board. Chairperson: Melissa Sandy.
Yinjaa-Barni Art at a glance
- Location: 48 Roe Street (Dalgety House), Roebourne, WA 6718. Between Karratha and Port Hedland on the North West Coastal Highway.
- Established: Began painting 2005. Incorporated 2007.
- People: Yindjibarndi, ancestral homelands around Millstream Tablelands and Fortescue River, Pilbara.
- Art forms: Acrylic painting on canvas.
- Opening hours: Monday to Friday 9am–4pm. Closed weekends, public holidays, and during the hot season (approximately November to January).
- Access: No permit required. Gallery open to visitors.
