Artists of Barkly bring 'Alatyeyt-angketyarr: Spinifex Country' to Japingka Gallery
“After the bushfires, when we go hunting, we see black. Then the rain comes and the snappy gums turn green and all the flowers and bush medicines bloom again.” - Ada Pula Beasley
Bush Medicine at the Swamp, Agnes Rubuntja, 2023
In the hot months, kwaty (rain) fills ephemeral waterholes and flocks of birds pirouette through stormy skies. Delicate flowers scatter the rocky ground, dancing in the fabled Barkly breeze. As days grow shorter, kwaty retreats into the earth and vivid greens fade to pale yellow. Rwa (fire) devours summer’s bounty, coating the ground in silver ash. Time ushers in more rain and spinifex country will soon be green again.
Alatyeyt-angketyarr: Spinifex Country brings together works by Alyawarr, Warumungu and Warlpiri artists from Owairtilla (Canteen Creek), Tennant Creek and Wutunugurra (Epenarra). The exhibition explores the cyclical nature of the central desert. Utilising a broad visual language typical of the Barkly region, artists employ a bright palette, rhythmic mark-making and exaggerated depictions of bush flowers and medicines, capturing the vast, repetitive landscape and transporting the viewer to Alatyeyt-angketyarr – Spinifex Country.
Alatyeyt-angketyarr: Spinifex Country is presented by Japingka Aboriginal Art in partnership with Barkly Regional Arts. The exhibition is on display at Japingka Gallery Fremantle from May 26 to June 5 2023 and online.
Waterfall That Come Down From The Hill, Benita Woodman, 2022