Debra McDonald Nangala

"Goanna Love Story"

2011

Thomas Tjapaltjarri

"Tignari Ancestors"

2011

Jeannie Mills (Utopia)

Wild Yam Dreaming

2011

Riverview, St Ignatius
“View Exhibits” - Annual Art Show .....

Saturday May 26th, 10am - 5pm & Sunday May 27th, 10am - 4pm

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This year the Committee has decided to turn the spotlight on Australian Indigenous art and has invited Dr Garry Darby to provide a wide range of works for display and sale.
Garry will show predominately works from the central and western deserts. These are the regions from which come our most successful and sought after painters. The desert paintings are all painted with acrylic artists paints on canvas. This movement to new material began back in 1971 with the Papunya schoolteacher Geoffrey Bardon. Since that time the desert art movement has grown to be the largest art movement Australia has ever produced and, further, its only international art movement.

At Riverview we will see contemporary works that are founded on ancient signs, symbols and mythologies. Dr Darby will be on hand throughout the exhibitions days and night to explain the meanings of the paintings. This will therefore be a wonderful opportunity to learn a deal more about this fascinating art form. All the paintings will be for sale. There will be some 300 paintings on show, some of which will be displayed flat on tables allowing easy access and facilitating display and explanation.

Some of the painters whose work will be on show include Janet Golder Kngwarreye from Utopia whose paintings show her “Wild Yam Dreaming”. One of the most important painters on show will be Thomas Tjapaltjarri from the Gibson desert. Thomas, with eight members of his family, left the nomadic way of life in the desert only in 1984. He has become one of the leading painters of his time and his works reflect his abiding concern with his “Tingari” ancestors. Thomas is one of the ‘last nomads’ and as such is at the end of a 60,000 year old tradition of desert dwellers in this country. His paintings are highly collectable for this reason alone. Other painters will include the wonderful and enigmatic Debra McDonald Nangala whose works relate her dreaming connected with the Goanna Love Story. Her family has a long tradition of presenting ‘dreamings’ from the desert. Sean Bandjalung from the north coast of New South Wales is rapidly building a reputation as an exciting and collectable painter whose works are mostly based on clans of his nation in Bandjalung country. Other painters of note will include Kim Butler Naparulla, Gloria Petyarre, Kudditji Kngwarreye, Barney Ellaga, Jeannie Mills, and Yinarupa Nangala whose dreaming and painting “Ancient Women” has made a big impact wherever it has been shown. Yinarupa won the General painting Prize at the Telstra Art Award in Darwin in 2009.

Visitors to the exhibition are welcome to bring along works for appraisal and discussion.

For any enquiries please contact Garry Darby on

9583 9916 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

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