Following their critically acclaimed 2006 exhibition, Mossenson Galleries in association with The Age 2007 Melbourne Fringe Festival are proud to present a new exhibition of works from the senior artists of Kaltjiti Arts and Crafts, Fregon. The exhibition features stunning new works from Tali Tali Pompey, Robin Kankapankatja, Iwana Ken and Tjayanka Robin. The exhibition will be launched at 6pm on Tuesday 18 September 2007 by Kath Melbourne, Creative Director of the Melbourne Fringe Festival.

In recent years, the tiny remote community of Fregon has witnessed a bold transformation in the landscape. Located in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara (APY) lands, Fregon is situated 350 km east of Uluru, in the remote north-west of South Australia. Nestled amidst the Musgrove Ranges, the APY lands have been the site of one of the most compelling visual renaissances of the 21st Century. According to Tracey Lock-Weir, Senior Curator at the Art Gallery of South Australia, “The paintings of the APY lands have a quality of extroverted ecstasy … [expressing] their country in bold forms and saturated colours that explode across the painted canvas in graphic outline.” Drawing on their traditional Walka designs and Tjukurpa (creation) stories, the artists of the APY lands have burst forth with a dynamism and originality that has captured the attention of critics, collectors and curators in Australia and overseas.

In 2006, the senior artists of Fregon exhibited at Mossenson Galleries in Carlton. Critic Robert Nelson praised the “glorious and imaginative works” while The Age’s Gordon Farrer celebrated their paintings as “both expressions of ownership and maps to another universe.” According to anthropologist Dr Diana James, the power of these works is a direct extension of the artists’ profound connection to their homelands. “These older people have a different eye for the landscape that comes from a lifetime of being one with the landscape.” Iwana Ken confirms this view, declaring, “A lot of what you paint is in your heart and mind rather than in what you see.”

Tali Tali Pompey, Robin Kankapankatja, Iwana Ken and Tjayanka Robin are senior artists in their community. Through their paintings and their teachings they work to keep their culture strong and their Tjukurpa alive. Through the Institute of Narrative and Music for Aborigines at Adelaide University, they have assisted to reconnect people with their Tjukurpa along the songlines that run from the APY lands. The pride and spiritual rejuvenation that they receive from their traditional country shines through in their art, transforming the landscape onto canvas in a vivid palate of swirling blooms and encompassing ranges. Combining a refined elegance with explosive combinations of colour, these works balance innovation with tradition, presenting a palpable sense of joy and spirituality.

The Mossenson Galleries, in conjunction with Kaltjiti Arts (Fregon) and The Age 2007 Melbourne Fringe Festival are proud to present Ngura Putitja (Bush Country): Senior Artists from Kaltjiti Arts. The exhibition features new works from Tali Tali Pompey, Robin Kankapankatja, Iwana Ken and Tjayanka Robin. The exhibition will be launched at 6pm on Tuesday 18 September 2007 by Kath Melbourne, Creative Director of the Melbourne Fringe Festival. For more information please contact Mossenson Galleries Collingwood on (03) 9417 6694 or collingwood@mossensongalleries.com.au