Most of the interior of Western Australia, northern South Australia and southwest corner of the Northern Territory are part of the Western Desert region.
Throughout this area are Aboriginal communities that are amidst Australia’s most abundant and talented art creators.
Within the Western Desert region the people are relatively similar in many ways. They speak similar dialects acknowledged as the Western Desert language. Many share a similar history with their association with white people. They are also frequently related though marriage and family links.
Warakurna
In the last 20 years there has been a massive increase in art centres across the Western Desert which has made for a huge diversity in art form.
Established in 2005 the Warakurna Art Centre was formed and apart from being a fast growing art centre it also now incorporates story telling/dreaming to show the community the meanings of their paintings.
Apart from the Tjukurrpa (Dreaming) paintings, the artists are including subjective historical and contemporary narratives about their lives in the community.
The Canning Stock Route collection
The paintings from this collection were done in 2007 and convey the story of the Canning Stock Route’s bearing on Aboriginal people and the importance of the Country that surrounds it.
It is via these works of senior and emerging artists and the stories of traditional custodians that the stories are told. The reveal the contact, conflict, survival, departure and return of the Aboriginal people seen through their eyes, and interpreted through their voices, art and new media.