Beryl Bell, Donna Ferguson & Sheryth Bronson – “Tjanpi Utes”, 2023 – Tjanpi (local grass), hand-dyed raffia, wire, repurposed metal from abandoned cars – Various dimensions – Courtesy Tjanpi Desert Weavers.

 

Three artists from Aboriginal artist cooperative Tjanpi Desert Weavers have been invited to take part in the 7th edition of the FITE – Biennale Textile – Clermont-Ferrand “PLAY”.

After Hermannsburg artist Peter Taylor’s participation in the 6th edition of FITE “Imagine!” in 2022, it’s now the turn of Beryl Bell, Donna Ferguson and Sheryth Bronson to represent Australia for the 7th edition of FITE – Biennale textile, a major textile festival presenting the work of contemporary artists from around the world using textiles as a medium.
Their works are part of the main exhibition “PLAY” at the Musée Bargoin in Clermont-Ferrand from July 2, 2024 to January 12, 2025.
>> Find out more about the PLAY exhibition

 

Beryl Bell, Donna Ferguson and Sheryth Bronson live in the Aboriginal community of Kaltukatjara (Docker River) in Australia’s Central Desert, and are part of the Tjanpi Desert Weavers artist cooperative.

Tjanpi Desert Weavers was established in Alice Springs, Australia in 1995, and is dedicated to women from the central and western deserts who practice and earn an income from fibre art. They use local natural plants (tjanpi) and raffia, as well as potentially other elements such as feathers, seeds and recycled materials.
Continuing a traditional weaving practice that goes back thousands of years, their innovative contemporary practice won them the major prize at the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award in 2005, with a collaborative work, a huge Toyota truck.

For the FITE “PLAY” exhibition, artists Sheryth Bronson, Beryl Bell and Donna Ferguson each created a sculpture, a desert vehicle “Tjanpi Ute”, using tjanpi (native grasses), raffia and scrap metal from abandoned cars, to “pay homage to the rickety, rusty, broken and beautiful vehicles that characterize the dirt roads of the desert”.

Tjanpi Artists’ participation in the FITE – Biennale Textile has been organised in collaboration with IDAIA.

 

Beryl Bell collecting tjanpi (grass) and working on her Tjanpi Ute at a Kaltukatjara (Docker River) workshop – Photos Ruby Henderson-Leconte & Em Frank, Courtesy Tjanpi Desert Weavers.

Donna Ferguson working on her Tjanpi Ute at a Kaltukatjara (Docker River) workshop – Photos Ruby Henderson-Leconte & Em Frank, Courtesy Tjanpi Desert Weavers.

Sheryth Bronson working on her Tjanpi Ute at a Kaltukatjara (Docker River) workshop – Photos Ruby Henderson-Leconte & Em Frank, Courtesy Tjanpi Desert Weavers.

 

For more information or Express interest in acquiring the works: info@idaia.com.au