Alfonso and Jane

08 October - 29 October 2013

 

Alfonso Puautjimi & Jane Tipuamantumirri from the Tiwi Islands in the Northern Australia, portray aspects of Tiwi life, ranging from quirky fish, magpie geese and ceremonial life, to houses, cars, planes and portraits. These richly painted ochres on paper feature bold brush strokes and a generous application of paint.

 

Ngaruwanajirri (meaning helping one another in Tiwi) was established in 1994 as a cooperative to support local Tiwi artists with disability and to provide employment for people at Wurrumiyanga (formally Nguiu) on Bathurst Island . The artists work in a wonderful open and airy workspace called the ‘Keeping House’.

 

Ngaruwanajirri artists create highly individual works in a range of art forms including batik and painted silk scarves, lino block printing, ironwood carving, water colour and acrylics on paper and natural ochres on paper and canvas.

 

The 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. These colours are still used by the Tiwi in different ceremonies and cultural events on both Melville and Bathurst Island (the Tiwi Islands).

 

Art from Ngaruwanajirri has been exhibited in galleries throughout Australia and is held in public and private collections.

 

View the online gallery