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IIt’s been an hour since I left Utopia Arts CenterIn remote central Australia, when our van veered off a rough dirt road into the bush.
We were in the northern region, one of the least populated regions of the country. In front of me, a red sandstone cliff loomed over acacia trees and low spinifex bushes. Local Aboriginal artists, Jennifer and Jedda Kngwarre Purvis, assured me that this was the place.
As we climbed a broad, sheltered ridge above the cliff, the desert heat was approaching 40 degrees. On the rusted walls Jennifer pointed out carvings of long triangles, representing the pencil yam vines that grew nearby.
“Emily was born here,” he explained, referring to his late great-grandmother Emily Kama Kngwarre, whose extraordinary work is the subject of a major retrospective at London’s Tate Modern. She was from Utopia, also known as Urapuntja or Amengarterneh, a tribal homeland formed in 1978.
Looking down from the cliff, the reds, yellows, greens and browns of the landscape were instantly recognizable from Kangavare’s gorgeous canvases, some of which he created at the art centre.
Patterns of dry earth are also clearly visible in the bold, swirling patterns in both Jennifer and Jedda’s canvases, which were for sale in the airy, white-walled gallery. The paintings are beautiful to look at, but they also explore the sisters’ spiritual connection to their land.
The art center is set among single-storey buildings and farm machinery in the 150-strong Utopia community, and is one of several government-funded centers for Aboriginal art in the Northern Territory. They provide studio space and materials, as well as sell the artists’ work, ensuring that they are paid fairly.
I had been fascinated by Aboriginal art since my first visit to Australia years ago, and came to see both the utopia and the small desert town. Alice SpringsA similar creative outpost. I will also visit the sights of the Northern Territory, including Uluru and Wataraka (also known as Kings Canyon).
In Alice Springs, Anna Dakin, a British artist who now runs art toursI walked through streets lined with bungalows and lilac-coloured jacaranda trees, surrounded by the majestic MacDonnell Mountains. More than a dozen Aboriginal art galleries are spread across the town center and, oddly enough, there is an industrial estate, interspersed among tire workshops and scrap metal dealerships.
“The Aboriginal arts industry as we know it was born right here in Alice Springs,” said Venita Poblocki, owner and director. this is tribal art gallery In the walkable, outdoor Todd Mall shopping center. “Art dealers from all over the world come here to acquire works.”
In many galleries, apart from the canvases so large that you would need a mansion to hang them, there were also smaller works whose prices started at around £40. But tangent lineAn Aboriginal-run, non-profit gallery and studio space, I couldn’t resist a large square painting by local artist Isobel Spencer Napaljari. It features circles of deep aubergine amid patches of ocher and vibrant cornflowers, and tells the story of women collecting acacia seeds for medicinal use.
From Alice Springs, we headed back on the open road to Uluru, passing camels, wild horses and an emu farm along the way. Nothing had prepared me for seeing a 550 million year old rock at sunrise the next day.
After a punishing 4am start, I was mesmerized by a sound and light show that displayed images of tribals on a dark landscape. Slowly, the sky changed from midnight blue to silvery pink and orange. Then, suddenly, Uluru began to emerge, part of nature’s dramatic revelation.
Over the next few days, on walks around Uluru and the neighboring Katajuta rock, Anna explained local stories related to both of them. Later, I explored the spectacular gorges of red sandstone Waterka National Park Which were, if anything, even more extraordinary.
My time in Australia was almost coming to an end but before I left, I wanted to see Darwin, the capital of the Northern Territory and another center of Aboriginal art. At less than two hours by plane from Alice Springs, it is geographically closer to Asia than any other Australian city.
The hop-on, hop-off sightseeing bus took me from my harbor-front hotel to the spectacular Northern Territory Museum and Gallery (MAGNT), which is home to the annual Telstra Natsia Awards – Australia’s most prestigious hour for Aboriginal art.
The powerful works in the show included everything from abstract canvases to massive installations, many of which addressed the histories of Aboriginal peoples. Above all, the art depicted the unforgettable natural world of the Northern Territory. It was not difficult to see the inseparable relationship between the two.
As Jennifer Kngavare Purvis told me: “To understand art you need to understand landscape.”
Eddy was a guest of Tourism and Events Northern Territory
how to do it
Qantas There are flights from London Heathrow to Alice Springs from £1250 return, including a stop in Sydney. Flying time is approximately 30 hours in total.
Tate Modern Emily Kam Kngwarry Exhibition Will run till January 11. General admission is £22; Concessions from £5; Free entry for members.
where to stay
double room at DoubleTree by Hilton, Alice Springs Cost from £82 per night. Centrally located, the hotel has a large pool as well as several good restaurants.
double room in smart, Adina Darwin Waterfront Aparthotel Cost from £79. The harbor promenade is on your doorstep and there’s also a pool.