Nestled amidst the sweeping grandeur of the Musgrave Ranges, where the shifting desert light transforms the landscape into a burning palette of rich umber, violet and ochre, lies the remote Indigenous community of Ernabella. Named Pukatja in the Yankunytjatjara language, Ernabella is the oldest permanent settlement on the Anangu Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara (APY) lands. For it’s Indigenous custodians, this is a country rich in tjukurpa: the sacred stories that define and shape their understanding of the land.

Ernabella was established as a settlement in 1938 by Presbyterian missionaries. The mission was founded upon the principle of a ‘two-way’ system of belief, in which Indigenous language, culture and traditions were encouraged to co-exist alongside Christian doctrines. Within a decade, the first Indigenous art centre had been founded at Ernabella, providing an outlet for artists to transform their traditional designs into striking works in wool, textiles and batik.

Sixty years on, Ernabella Arts is the oldest continuously operating Indigenous art centre in Australia. Mossenson Galleries, in conjunction with Ernabella Arts are proud to present the first Western Australian exhibition of paintings from this historic and important community arts initiative.

For the first three decades, art production at Ernabella was largely restricted to works woven or knitted from wool. These works explored the decorative designs or walka of the people of Ernabella. More recently, however, art making at Ernabella has undergone a spectacular renaissance, led by senior men and women who have embraced painting as a means of communicating their tjukurpa or creation stories. These works sparkle with the joy of retelling.

As Tracey Lock-Weir, Senior Curator at the Art Gallery of South Australia has noted “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.”

Nganampa Tjukurpa is an exhibition about telling stories. Whether they are works of senior men like Harry Tjutjuna and Dickie Minyintiri or senior women like Ungakini Tjangala and Nura Rupert, they resonate with a unique connection to the past, together with a profound connection to the land. According to Ernabella Arts Manager Deb Myers, “This body of works represents Pitjantjara tjukurpa (stories) that are only told by very senior men and women. Recent trips to country have provided inspiration for much of the work, with other works representing personal history and dreaming.”

Nganampa Tjukurpa is the first major Western Australian exhibition of paintings from Ernabella. The artists are extremely excited that their tjukurpa are travelling to Perth, and particularly excited that two artists will be travelling to Perth to share these stories. Artists Alison Carroll and Renita Stanley will be accompanied by a translator to help explain their paintings to Perth audiences.

The exhibition is presented as part of the 2008 celebrations of 60 years of art production at Ernabella. Mossenson Galleries, in conjunction with Ernabellla Arts are very proud to present Nganampa Tjukurpa (Our Stories). The exhibition will be opened at 6pm on Tuesday 19 August 2008 by Gary Dufour, Acting Director of the Art Gallery of Western Australia.