Balgo

Art in Balgo, as in most Aboriginal communities had its origins in the ritual life of the people. In the desert, ceremonial designs on the desert floor were created in the sand for particular ceremonies. As many of these ceremonies were secret to those who participated, they were usually abandoned or destroyed at the end of the event. Essentially, Balgo art, like all Aboriginal art is a political statement about the spiritual relationship of the people with the land. It is directed to the Kartiya as a reminder that at the heart of this great land and responsible for it are a people who are descendants of an ancestor people who still dwell in this country and who have left their mark on its surface.

Warlayirti Artists was established in 1987 with the employment of the first coordinator, following the success of the first exhibition of Balgo art – Paintings from the Great Sandy Desert – at the Art Gallery of Western Australia in 1986. However, the first public paintings by Balgo artists were banners completed in 1981 for the celebration of Father Piele’s Silver Jubilee. Following this, people began painting on canvas board through the Catholic run Wirrumanu Adult Education and Training Centre. Since 1987 the organisation has grown significantly and the artists represented by Warlayirti Artists have emerged as some of Australia’s leading contemporary Indigenous artists.  As a result Warlayirti Artists contributes significantly to the social, cultural and economic wellbeing of the Indigenous residents of the Kutjungka region.