Regional Collaborative Paintings

From the beginning of the APY art movement, Anangu artists have relished the opportunity to celebrate and share their Tjukurpa (Anangu law, cultural stories) through large-scale paintings. Senior artists have expressed that it is only through major works that artists enjoy the ultimate freedom of cultural expression, exploration and depiction of their Tjukurpa and ngura (Country).

Alongside the major works created by individuals, Anangu artists have enjoyed the opportunity to collaborate both within their art centres and across the region on large-scale artworks. In 2016 Anangu Elders organised a special painting camp to support the creation of a series of landmark regional collaborative paintings. These men’s and women’s painting camps now occur annually and are regarded as important cultural events, as well as key artistic programming. Paintings produced are significant in scale and support the participation of more than 25 artists. These works are widely recognised as masterpieces and have been acquired by institutions in Australia and abroad without exception. Works have been acquired by the Art Gallery of South Australia, the Australian War Memorial and Fondation Opale, in Switzerland