The Ikuntji Collection: A Journey to Australia’s Central Desert
The Ikuntji Collection is a collection of textile accessories developed in collaboration with the Ikuntji artists’ cooperative, located in the Aboriginal community of Haasts Bluff, in the heart of Australia’s central desert, which supplies the art fabrics.
Handmade in Paris in limited edition, the objects of the Ikuntji Collection take you on a journey to the ancestral land of the artists, to discover their landscapes and their stories.
The Ikuntji Artists
The Ikuntji Artists Cooperative is located in the Aboriginal community of Haasts Bluff, in the heart of Australia’s Red Centre, 227 km from Alice Springs.
Established in 1992, the cooperative is the first created by women artists in the deserts of central Australia.
The artists paint their interpretation of their ancestral land and the associated creation stories (or dreams), to which the artists are linked by family heritage and of which they are the guardians.
Since 2016, Ikuntji artists have been exploring the medium of textile design, which is another way to share their culture and a source of income for the community.
The fabric designs created by the Ikuntji artists represent the ceremonies of women with the signs traditionally painted onto their bodies or drawn in the sand, lines evoking the sand dunes which extend to infinity, rock water holes in the rocky part of the desert, while the intriguing ‘Watiya Tjuta’ motif alludes to the trees used to make spears, and in particular to the sacred site where the spear preparation ceremony takes place.
The printing technique is art screen printing, printed by hand with ecological inks in Australia.
Ethical handmade accessories
The result of an ethical international collaboration, the objects in the collection are entirely handmade by Parisian designers and craftsmen, using the superb hand-printed fabrics coming from Ikuntji.
Cushions, bed or table runners, table lamps, hand bags and pouches: all the objects in the collection convey strong values, beauty and culture.
An exclusive launch for the BHV Marais
Exclusively for BHV, IDAIA is launching its new collection of Aboriginal textile accessories IKUNTJI at BHV Marais, with 16 products from the Ikuntji Collection showcased in the BHV Marais’ Agora area during BHV’s Couleurs Australie event from January 29 to February 27, 2022.
Solidarity-based and made in France, the Ikuntji Collection products have the “Go For Good” label from the BHV – Galeries Lafayette group.
Stockists and Distribution
- BHV website: www.bhv.fr/b/idaia
- Galeries Lafayette: https://www.galerieslafayette.com/b/idaia
- IDAIA France: https://idaia.fr/collections/idaia-x-ikuntji
- A selection of decoration/museum stores in France
The Collection is managed and distributed by IDAIA France (www.idaia.fr).
For any questions or to receive the catalogue: info@idaia.com.au or info@idaia.fr
IDAIA France: www.idaia.fr
Facebook page Galerie IDAIA Paris
Instagram account galerieidaia
Images: IDAIA & Ikuntji Artists.
