<Balgo Hills
Acrylic on Linen, .
91 x 61 cm (36.4 x 24.4 ins)
These paintings are
by the Warlayirti artists who live in three communities: Balgo, Mulan
and Billiluna. Balgo itself is situated about 850 kilometres north west
of Alice Springs. This is an area where the vast expanse of the Western
Desert to the south meets the rugged, sub-tropical Kimberley region to
the north. These contrasting influences are reflected in Balgo Hills art,
which is characterized by its diversity.
Until November 1988 communication with the rest of Australia was restricted
to radio-telephone; radio reception was unreliable and there was no television.
Together with the tendency for Balgo to be isolated annually for at least
three months during the wet season, this has enabled the community to
maintain traditional culture and to withstand alien influences and commercial
exploitation. It was only in the late 1970s, influenced by similar developments
at Papunya and Yuendumu, that the dreamtime stories were first painted
at Balgo Hills using acrylic on canvas and board rather than traditional
materials.
These paintings are mythical landscapes of the central Australian desert.
They depict specific sites that have a totemic significance for the artists.
The aboriginal people of Australia have for millenia lived in harmony
with their environment, nurturing it through the sacred rituals of the
endlessly renewed Songlines which traverse the land. It is the features
of this mythographic landscape that are described in these extraordinary
paintings.
No living creature, plant or geographical mark is considered too insignificant
for inclusion in this world. Rock holes, claypans and sandhills take their
place alongside spinifex grass and spiders. The paintings show a reverence
for the earth and all that comes from it. Their message and temper is
well suited to these times of growing ecological awareness.
The creation of these paintings is a testimonial to a brilliant new art
movement and, more importantly, to a resurgence of cultural pride amongst
Australia's first custodians.