(RE) CURRENTS OF WARRAMBANY

04/08/2011 to 21/08/2011

On Sunday 13th March 2011, the community of Warmun experienced a day they would never forget. Unprecedented volumes of water (Warrambany) filled Turkey Creek, inundating almost every building, including the Art Centre. The managers worked frantically to salvage paintings but the sickening sound of gallery walls collapsing forced them to take refuge in the old Telegraph house on higher ground. In following days, the community was evacuated to a temporary camp in Kununurra where they would remain for several months waiting for the infrastructure to be replaced that would enable them to return to their community.

The Art Centre was devastated by the inundation with considerable damage to the buildings and equipment but most distressingly, the loss of over 700 paintings that were either washed away or damaged beyond repair.  Waters indiscriminately washed away paintings by the very youngest of artists to treasures by now deceased well known artists like Jack Britten and Hector Jandany. By the grace of being in an enclosed space, the nationally significant community archival collection were saved through the fast acting generosity of the many people who rallied together to helicopter the works out to Kununurra to a dry place for assessment and care and then to Melbourne University where the most damaged works are being conserved by the Centre for Cultural Material Conservation.

In 1974, Cyclone Tracey dumped a large amount of water onto Warmun and a truck was pulled off the road by the Rainbow Serpent and pushed into a ditch. An old woman was badly injured and airlifted from Warmun in a bid to get her to hospital but died on the way. Sometime later the woman’s spirit came to Rover Thomas in a dream. She showed him the country she had flown over and taught him the Gija names. She also taught him a song and a dance for this journey and showed him designs to paint on boards. These images were to be carried on the shoulders of men in the dance. After some time and much discussion amongst the Gija of Warmun, the now famous Gurirr Gurirr ceremony was born and from this, the birth of an art movement led by a non-Gija man, the now famous Rover Thomas.

Many years after the Warmun Art Centre had been formed, people had been talking about the old boards that used to be painted before canvas on stretcher frames became the normal medium. Warmun artists made a series of paintings on ply boards in memory of those early beginnings.

Following the recent flood in March 2011, these forgotten treasures were found amongst the debris. The carefully wrapped paintings on wooden boards were made in 2005 and proved to now be hidden gems of ideas that evolved from the first inspiration that arose from the wild storm so long ago.

Once again in 2011 a new story for Warmun is growing out of the raging waters. New memories and stories are shaping up for the Gija people. In Kununurra, at the temporary evacuation camp, many Warmun artists sought to keep their painting practice alive, building up their Art Centre even in trying conditions and far from their country. Here they talked about that awful day and the angry Rainbow Serpent that brought the raging waters over the little community. The artists poured these visions into paintings made with their ochres from the earth of their Gija country.

Out of renewed hope and determination comes this exhibition (RE)-CURRENTS OF WARRAMBANY and the influence of flooding waters on the art of Warmun.

There are 17 flood paintings featured in the exhibition. Supporting and as reference to this are a number of the 2005 painted boards.

All enquiries are welcomed.