Exhibitions

Keeping Place: Tiwi Art from Ngaruwanajirri

View works on the online gallery

Nomad Art is proud to present Keeping Place, Tiwi Art from Ngaruwanajirri Inc, featuring new etchings by Alfonso Puautjimi, Jane Tipuamantumirri, Lorna Kantilla, Lillian Kerinaiua, Alexandrina Kantilla and Ken Wayne Kantilla.

This was the first experience for these artists in creating multi plate colour etchings. The print workshop was held inside the wonderful airy workspace called ‘Keeping Place’ at Wurrumiyanga. The artists were assisted by Master printer Basil Hall in April 2021 and the workshop funded by Arts NT.

These artists mostly portray  secular aspects of Tiwi life, ranging from quirky images of  houses, cars, planes, and bicycles, to fish and magpie geese but also Jilamara (ceremonial designs). The exhibition also includes works on paper, carvings and silk scarves which shows their diversity of skill and design.

Ngaruwanajirri artists are encouraged to explore their individuality and freedom of expression, fostering skills, innovation and sense of belonging. Under a beautiful painted roof of the Keeping Place, artists draw, paint and sculpt. The artists are inspired by their culture and surroundings. As with most Tiwi art the predominant colours used are  natural ochres. White and yellow are collected from two beaches on Bathurst Island and burning the yellow ochre over a fire produces a third colour, red.

Ngaruwanajirri (meaning helping one another in Tiwi) was established in 1994 as a cooperative to support Tiwi artists with disabilities and to provide employment for people at Wurrumiyanga.