Jakayu Biljabu & Ngamaru Bidu (Collaborative painting) – Pitu area, 2011
46 x 61 cm – Acrylic on canvas
Bringing Martumili Artists to France
IDAIA – International Development for Australian Indigenous Art is delighted to announce an exhibition entirely dedicated to Far Western Australia’s Martumili Artists, to be held at the other side of the world, in France.
Martumili Artists is the official artist cooperative for the Martu people living in the Pilbara region, deep in the Western Australian desert. While it is one of the last Aboriginal art centers created, it recently had the pride of place in 2 major institutional exhibitions in Australia : Living Water – Contemporary Art of the Far Western Desert at the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne (2011-2012) and Yiwarra Kuju: The Canning Stock Route which toured from the National Museum of Australia, Canberra to the Australian Museum, Sydney (2010-2012). It seems only fitting for dynamic, passionate organisation IDAIA to help them exhibit overseas and share the artists’ incredible energy and talent with the European audience.
IDAIA’s raison d’etre is to contribute to develop the noble and sustainable Australian Indigenous Art, which they have based on two levels of action:
– Consolidate the ethical and perenial sector, by working with and for the Aboriginal art centres, the official Aboriginal-owned artist cooperatives ;
– Elevate the debate, overtake the ethnographical approach which still present in a number of overseas countries, by organising high-level curated exhibitions, showing real contemporary Aboriginal art and highlighting individual talents.
The organisation takes great pride in the strong relationships they have developped with art centres over the years, and the resulting art works they are entrusted with, from raw little gems to major museum-quality pieces.
For this first exhibition in Europe of Martumili Artists the selected paintings reflect both the Martu culture and the dramatic geography and scale of their homelands, such as Lake Disappointment, the Rabbit-Proof Fence or the Canning Stock Route and its wells. Focus artist Jakayu Biljabu is a senior Martu woman creating striking compositions vibrating with the shimmer of her saltlake country, embodying her unique vision and interpretation of her land and stories.
Organised with IDAIA’s Lyon-based partner Galerie Kungka, the exhibition is hosted by the city of Saint Avertin, nestled in the UNESCO world heritage region of the famous Châteaux de la Loire, from 30 June to 31 August 2012.
For more information : info@idaia.com.au