Collections from the Le Temps du Rêve gallery, Pont Aven.
In the Central Desert, Arnhem Land, and Kimberley, Aboriginal artists are reinventing contemporary abstract painting. Pointillism from the Central Desert, flat colors from the Kimberley, and bright bark from Arnhem Land—these artists, old cowboys and desert divas, paint their country. While understanding eludes us, the sensation touches us. Pure colors, a sense of composition, the paintings are vibrant and intense. Their visual beauty is an invitation to discover these Aboriginal worlds and their initiates, the artists. For the paintings tell of a belief shared by different groups: the Dreamtime. The exhibition celebrates the pioneers of various artistic communities in the Central Desert, Papunya, Yuendumu, with Clifford Oppossum Tjapaltjarri and Ronnie Tjampitjinpa, Michael Nelson Jagamarra and then the APY (Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara) region in the north of South Australia, notably with Mick Wikilyiri. There are many women artists, including Kathleen Petyarre at Utopia, Judy Watson Napangardi and Maringka Baker. Some painters are innovative in their plastic experiments, such as Tommy Watson, Barney Campbell Tjakamarra and Minnie Pwerle.
The Kimberley is a wonderful discovery, with the painted panels by Churchill Cann and Beerbee Mungnar Joongoorai, from Rover Thomas’s Dreaming. Finally, the older painted bark from Arnhem Land recalls the region’s ancient rock painting tradition. Everyday and ritual objects, including Dinny Kunoth’s initiate statuettes, spirit representations, ceremonial poles, and musical instruments, further explore the exhibition’s themes and complement a scenography enhanced with multimedia.