honey ant gallery in Sydney is heading overseas!

Posted 21 June 2012

From Lisa...

After many wonderful years in Sydney I am relocating our 'Sydney' gallery overseas.  Details to follow!  My family and I depart our fair shores in July to facilitate a career opportunity for my husband, so whilst we will enjoy sharing Australia's spectacular Aboriginal art overseas, we will indeed look forward to our return to Sydney in a few years time.

Please note that our lovely Noosa gallery remains open without any change.

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honey ant gallery returns to Glebe in May with "Desert Colours" (4th- 26th May)

honey ant gallery comes to Yandina! (Feb - Apr)

Posted 23 January 2012

We warmly invite you to visit our Yandina gallery, on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland.

Desert Trip 2011

Above:  We left Noosa Heads on the 1st of September and headed west.  We had an exciting trip planned and Birdsville was our first major stop.  You know you have reached city limits when you see sights such as this!  Clifton is west of Quilpie in Central Australia.  They do not like dingoes here!  We were heading to the Birdsville Races along with thousands of other travellers.

Above:  We enjoyed the Yabbie Races in Windorah more than the races in Birdsville.  This yabbie, number 7, is "Jack the Nipper", trained by Gay WaterCloset!  He narrowly defeated "Mornay Boy" and "Frustration Crustacean" in race 6.  He raised a lot of money for the Flying Doctor Service.

Above: It was a really fun night in Windorah as the yabbies were auctioned off for the races.

Above: There was still a lot of water in the wetlands between Birdsville and Bedourie.
Heaps of emu and water birds.

Above: This is the wonderful Eyre Creek.  It flows south towards Birdsville and through the edge of the Simpson Desert.

It has often stopped us crossing the Simpson desert.

Above: This is a clay widow's cap.  These were worn by aboriginal women in this area when their husband died.  They were a show of respect during the mourning period.  This time could last for six months or more.

We saw this one in the little museum in Boulia.  There was a very old grave discovered in the area with many clay caps placed on top of it.  He must have had many wives!

Above:  Warren has found some emu bush tomatoes.  These are small and very bitter and not collected by the aboriginal people.

The bush tomatoes that are popular with the people, grow on a similar bush but are larger and sweet.

Above: We were invited to stay in the tiny community of Bonya, on the Plenty H/way.
Here we met Georgina and her favourite food was echidna.  We went out hunting one morning and I was relieved that we did not find one.

Above: Painting by the famous artist Naata Nungurrayi.  She is one of the very few remaining speakers of the old Pintupi desert language.
Naata grew up in the western desert  in a totally nomadic lifestyle not knowing that there were whitefellars now in control of her country.  This painting now joins the 'Honey Ant Gallery' collection.

Above: After leaving Alice Springs,  we camped the first night on the banks of the Finke River. This beautiful dingo had been cooling off in the water and was very relaxed with us there.

Above:  A Finke River evening - perfect for a BBQ

Above:  Near Haasts Bluff we saw this unusual mountain. Must be an old volcano with a side "pipe". Does anyone know the name of this formation? Normally it is covered with vegetation and not visible.

Above: We reached the community of Kintore.  It is approx. 500 kms west of Alice. This the start of the Papunya Tula Artists territory. There is a big art centre here and we always call in to see who is painting. We source a lot of our work from Papunya Tula Artists.

Above: After leaving Kintore we took the Sandy Blight Road south through the desert.  It is a magnificent drive with masses of wild flowers and some big sand dunes to cross.  Did not see another vehicle for days.

Above: Imagine our surprise when we came across this giant stiletto shoe at the turn-off to the art community of Tjukurla W.A. Had to have a photo of this! We were told the shoe had been a prop in the making of the movie "Priscilla - Queen of the Desert"!

Above:  Had a great time at Tjukurla as we were made welcome and given a place to stay.  There was lots of great art works there - we acquired most of these.

Above: The ladies asked for photos.  I have sent copies to them and they are thrilled and have put them on the wall of the art centre!

Above: Most communities have a sign to this effect.  Car bonnets are handy for fences and wind breaks as well as signs.

Above: Camels are breeding up fast.  A hugh cull is underway right now in Central Australia. The township of Docker River was recently invaded by hundreds of camel seeking water. They tear air conditioners off the walls of houses and attack water tanks and taps.

Above: The Sandy Blight Road is a beautiful drive from Kintore to meet the Great Central Road WA.

Above: He was a big boy!

Above: This is a Len Beadell road and here Warren is signing the visitors book.

Above & below:  Country was blooming!

Above: The Spinifex people have fabulous signage on all their tracks.  We drove all the way south on the Connie Sue Track, to the community of Tjuntjuntjarra, but could not stay as the whole community was in mourning over a sudden death in the community.

The Spinifex people painted a huge canvas representing their country, and delivered it in a 4WD to the WA Government House and asked for their land back.  They were successful and now have 55,000 square kms of country, known as Spinifex Country.

Above:  This is on the Ann Beadell Track heading east.  Parts of the track are getting very overgrown and the bushes scratch the sides of the vehicle.

Above:  Saw some very old spinifex.  Spinifex grows from the centre out and the middle dies.

Above:  We drove south from Vokes Corner and reached  the northern section of the Nullarbor Plain.
These are the aboriginal  Muckera Rockholes.   Three round holes, about one meter deep, in the rock.
Water will collect here when it rains  (which is not very often).

These rock holes were extremely important to the people of this area.
They were looked after to make sure they were clean and ready to store water.

Above:  As we drove south the country became more flat and featureless.  Saw hundreds of huge rabbit warrens.

Above: As we approached the ghost town of Cook (pop.4!) the railway line was blocked by a very long train.  They stop here for a while and get water etc.

Above:  The caretaker of Cook said we could camp at the old school house overnight.
There was plenty of water here and we did some hand washing as we would soon be back in civilisation.

Above:  What a contrast!  Blue water of the Great Australian Bight and dozens of whales!
These are the Right Whale and rest here in the warm current with their young before heading back to the cold southern waters.

Above: What a spectacular coastline - what a wonderful country we have to explore.
To get home now we drove the coastline of Eyre peninsular, S.A., headed to Adelaide, Canberra, and Sydney to see our family and then north to Noosa.
The trip took two months and we drove 9,500 kms.  We did two tyres and had a great time.

Above:  some of the paintings we acquired.  These ones are from Papunya Tula Artists.  All the new works can be viewed on our website.

Sydney Gallery - Announcement

'Papunya Tjupi' Visits Us!

Honey Ant Gallery has close relationships with many wonderful art centres based in the Central Desert.  One of these is Papunya Tjupi, and we were lucky to have a number of their talented artists visit us recently.

The main purpose of their Sydney visit was to attend a print making workshop.  One of the reasons why art centres such as Papunya Tjupi are so vital is that they really invest in nurturing the skills and talents of their artists. 

Whilst in the big smoke the artists also visited a few galleries, including our gallery which maintains an extensive range of wonderful Papunya Tjupi paintings.  It was lovely to see the artists' eyes light up when they entered the gallery upon recognising their work.  They seemed so proud – which they rightly should be as their work is fantastic!!

Doris Bush Nungarrayi showed off her wacky new pink hat- a recent Sydney purchase.  Sydney shopping had evidently been a fun experience for them- as many of the ladies had new clothing acquisitions!

The artists also loved browsing through our range of wonderful books, and marvelled in locating relatives featured within the pages.  Many of Papunya Tjupi’s current generation of artists descend from renowned senior artists who were involved in the very beginnings of the Central Desert art movement.

Papunya Tjupi Arts is a relatively new art centre (formed late 2007), located 240kms north west of Alice Springs, at the very famous settlement ‘Papunya’. 

Papunya is the birthplace of the Western Desert Art movement (in the early 70’s) and as such is lucky in being a particularly culturally rich and vibrant area.

From top right:  Maureen Poulson, Mary Roberts,  Beyula Napanangka, Candy Nakamarra Nelson,  Kasumi Ejiri (the very wonderful and dedicated Centre Manager), Doris Bush Nungarrayi (with "the" hat!), Tracy Allen and in front Alice Poulson and Lisa McLaren (of Honey Ant Gallery).

'Contemporary Aboriginal Art' - 3rd - 9th January 2011

'Christmas Show 2010' - 3rd - 24th December

   

'Black & White' - 15th October until 20th November 2010.

'Desert Best 2010' - September / October 2010.

Rae & Warren's Desert Encounters:

Comments and photos sent from Rae and Warren as they continue their travels:
This was our view from our camp at Mornington Wilderness Reserve.  We relaxed there for four days  - reading , playing cards and canoeing in the beautiful Fitzroy River Gorge.

We spent an entire day canoeing along the Saint John Gorge.  There were little beaches and plenty of swimming spots. We saw masses of fish, birds but not one freshwater croc. 

We saw huge galleries of Aboriginal art.  These are Wandjina figures.  They are responsible for the rain.

This "Bradshaw" art work is much older and the present Aboriginal people do not understand it.  In many of the natural galleries that we explored there was Wandjina art over the top of the Bradshaw art.  There are thousands of art sites in the Kimberley.



This was a very workable outdoor kitchen.  We were camped right up on the coast of the Timor Sea outside of Kalumburu.  Warren kept us supplied with fish -  no swimming due to the resident two crocodiles. The ground here is all white shells and shell-grit. We were here for the full moon and were amazed when that evening thousands of hermit crabs were walking about.  It was difficult not to stand on one.

We hit the road early and were only on the road a few kms when we stopped for an Aboriginal man, his two wives and 8 children.  They had slept beside the road as their car's battery had failed and he needed a tow. We got them going and a bit further along we started to notice the erratic driving tracks of a large vehicle. We were going in the same direction and noticed that the tracks were swerved all over the road.  We decided that the driver was very tired or very drunk.  We then saw the truck in question off the track deep in the soft sand.  The driver was very drunk and had been stuck since 3am.  He was ok for food and water and we took his bosses phone number to let him know where his driver and truck was.

We have crossed many rivers and creeks.

More amazing art near El Questro.


This is an ancient Boaboa tree.  They are all over the Kimberley.  This one is hollow inside and was used to lock prisoners up overnight on the long walk to Derby.  This is on the back road to Wyndham.  Nearby as we had lunch by the muddy King River we saw two big crocodiles glide past. 

Warren in prison!

Rae and Warren have now reached the Western Australian coastline.  The trip across the desert was amazing- the sun behind them each morning enhanced the red colour of the sand, the ancient rocky outcrops and bright desert flowers.  There has been a lot of rain, so many patches of track have been challenging - washed away and very rutted.
After leaving Alice Springs they passed through Glen Helen, Papunya, Mt Liebig, Kintore, Kiwirrkurra, Jupiter Well, Well 33, Punmu, Marble Bar and onto the 80 mile beach south of Broome.  They did not see anyone between Kiwirrkurra and Well 33 on the Canning Stock Route- only camel!


Digging for honey ants with some of the artists from Mt Liebig (community art centre "Watiyawanu Artists").

Success!  Honey ants are a real delicacy for Aboriginal people.

Warren and locals cooking up kangaroo tail.  The smaller tails are the most popular.

Stuck in this dry creek bed!  The back wheel was right down, and the sand was very wet and soft.

Camel by the track.

This is Jupiter Well, west of Kiwirrkura.  Due to the great water supply the well is surrounded by some spectacular Desert Oaks.  Great spot for camping and spending the night.

This sign says it all.  These rough signs are typical of desert tracks.  Most signs are done by travelers.

Beautiful colours in the rocks at Marble Bar, W.A.  Early settlers thought this was marble (hence the community's name)- however it is Jasper, and shatters when cut.

Rae and Warren were so thrilled to reach 80 Mile Beach, W.A.  Coast to coast trip is complete!!

Rae and Warren (from our Noosa gallery) are currently traversing our beautiful continent.  
Their 3 month journey commenced at the start of July, with the purpose being to cross Australia via desert tracks from Noosa (Qld) to Port Headland (Western Australia).  
"As we have crossed the Simpson Desert seven times before we decided to follow the Darling River south and visit Lake Mungo National Park.  We just passed through the Flinders Ranges and followed the old Ghan railway in South Australia to Alice Springs.  So many breathtaking experiences and sights- all of which makes us feel more connected to our land and our indigenous forebearers."  - Rae & Warren.  
Currently Rae and Warren are enjoying a few days of 'relative' luxury in Alice, after many weeks roughing it in their purpose built Troop Carrier. 
They will soon leave Alice and head west via Papunya and Kintore until they meet the Canning Stock route.  From there they will travel through Jigalong and Marble Bar to the Western Australian coast.
Here are a few snaps from their travels:
 
Ancient engravings on the walls of Chambers Gorge in the Northern Flinders Range - a very sacred place.

Their camp in the Chambers Gorge.

They followed the old Ghan Railway line along the Oodnadatta track SA .  The train line follows an ancient Aboriginal trading route,  linking water holes and springs.   The trains were run by steam and so water was essential.  The old track is visible most of the way.

Lambert Centre-  this structure marks the geographical centre of mainland Australia . It is located to the west of the Aboriginal community of Finke NT.  

Beautiful flowers are springing up due to the prolonged wet season.  This photo was taken on the track to Lambert Centre.

More pictures will be posted as Rae & Warren continue on their travels - so stay tuned.

'Papunya Tula Artists - Classics' - 9th July until 21st August 2010

Debra Nakamarra, 91 x 61cm, #1291.

Bill Whiskey Tjapaltjarri  

"That Old Man" short documentary

We are very privledged and humbled to continue representation of the late artist, Bill Whiskey Tjapaltjarri.

He was a magificient artist, and equally magificient man.  His story is profiled in this short documentary titled "That Old Man".  Executive producer Glenis Wilkins superbly captures the depth of Whiskey's traditional roots.  It makes touching viewing for anyone interested in learning more about Bill Whiskey and Aboriginal culture in general.

'Utopia 2010' - 21st May until 26th June 2010 (Sydney)

Barbara Weir, 60 x 45cm, #1281.

Kathleen Kngale, 180 x 120cm.

'Little Gems 2010' - 9th April - 8th May 2010

Xavier Tjapanangka, untitled, Papunya Tula Artists, 61 x 55cm.


Miriam Napanangka, untitled, Papunya Tula Artists, 61 x 55cm.

'Contemporary Aboriginal Art from Central Australia 2010' - 30th April - 4th May (5 special days only!)

George Ward Tjungurrayi, 182 x 152cm, #482.

'Charlie Tjapangati and Wintjiya Napaltjarri of Papunya Tula Artists' - 6th Feb until 13th March

Wintjiya Napaltjarri, Untitled 2007, 91 x 91cm.

'Papunya Tjupi' - 5 Nov until 24th Dec 2009

Tilau Nangala, 122 x 91cm.

Martha Mcdonald Napaltjarri, 91 x 61cm.

Candy Nakamarra, 91 x 91cm.

Welcome Iwantja Arts

We are very excited to commence representation of artists from the Iwantja Arts and Crafts Community.

Iwantja Community is mainly Yankunytjatjara people living on the eastern side of the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Lands, 8 km from the Stuart Highway in the far north of South Australia, on a dusty rocky ridge called Indulkana.

Indulkana Arts Association started in the seventies. Initially used for secondary student's art lessons, the building used was so crowded at times that the teacher had to mark spots on the floor in the morning to make sure they all had room! Skills were learnt and the beginnings of a clear identity formed. People did traditional wood carving (punu), batik, patchwork, dying, painting and around the early eighties linoblock printing started. Over 100 prints and many drawings from that time are in the South Australian Museum. They are mainly monochrome using dreaming symbols. Later, artists had some connection with Studio One in Canberra and three women went there to work with their printers. Some multicoloured prints were developed then.

Iwantja Arts and Crafts moved into the Family Centre in January 1995. Since then Iwantja has gone from strength to strength on the basis of its strong cultural identity and impressive output.

Honey Ant Gallery Sydney, now offers a lovely range of paintings from Iwantja, some of which are pictured below:

 
Alec Baker, "Punu Trees", 91 x 91cm



Maringka Burton, "Tjukula Tjuta Punu Tjuta", 100 x 100cm. 

"Collectable Works" - 18th July until 22nd August 2009.

"Papunya Tula Artists" - until 11th July 2009.

Patrick Tjungurrayi, Untitled 2007, 91 x 91cm.

Profile - Papunya Tula Artists

"Little Gems" - 24 April - 16 May

Lena Pwerle from Utopia, Conkerberry, 30 x 30cm.

Eileen Bird from Utopia, Women's Ceremony, 30 x 30cm.

Nanyuma Napangati of Papunya Tula Artists, Untitled, 46 x 38cm.

Maureen Mulda of Tangentyere Artists, Town Camp Life, 30 x 30cm.

The exhibition also features works by artists from 'Tangentyere Artists', who specialise in paintings created by 400 artists, residents of 18 Alice Springs Town Camps.  Town Camps are home to a dynamic population  of 1600 Indigenous people; locals and visitors from a wide range of remote communities from across central Australia. 

Maureen Mulda (above painting) paints ‘Town Camp Life’, which is a reflection of modern, day-to-day life in the town camps.

"Desert Colours" - 21 March - 18 April 2009

"Yunpu" 2004, Bai Bai Napangarti.

"Utopia - Bush Plum & other Delicacies" - 6th to 28th February 2009.

Detail of painting by Natalie Pula Holmes (#768)

Series of 3 works by Kathleen Ngale, all approx 150 x 90cm.

Featured Artist - Shorty Jangala Robertson

Shorty Jangala Robertson was born in the 1930's at Jila (Chilla Well), a large soakage and claypan north west of Yuendumu. He lived a nomadic hunter-gatherer lifestyle with his parents, older brother and extended Warlpiri family. They travelled vast distances across desert country, passing through Warlukurlangu, south west of Jila and Ngarlikurlangu, north of Yuendumu, visiting Jangalas, his skin brothers.

His childhood memories consist of stories associated with the Conniston Massacre of Aboriginal people and close to Jila, families were shot at Wantaparri. Shorty Jangala Robertson had virtually no contact with white fellas during his youth but remembers leaving Jila for Mt Theo 'to hide' from being shot. His father died at Mt Theo and then with his mother moved to Mt Doreen Station, and subsequently the new settlement of Yuendumu.

During World War II, the army took people from Yuendumu to the other Warlpiri settlement at Lajamanu. Shorty was taken and separated from his mother. However she came to get him on foot, and together they traveled hundreds of miles back to Chilla Well.

Drought food and medical supplies forced Shorty and his family back to Yuendumu from time to time. His working life was full of adventure and hard work for different enterprises in the Alice Springs/Yuendumu area. He finally settled at Yuendumu in 1967 after the Australian Citizen Referendum.

It is extraordinary in all his travels and jobs over his whole working life, that he escaped the burgeoning and flourishing Central Desert art movement of the 1970's and 1980's. Thus Shorty's paintings are fresh, vigorous and new. His use of colour to is extraordinary.  This fledgling artist well in his 70's is an active member of Warlukurlangu Co-operative. He lives at Yuendumu with his wife and artist Lady Nungarrayi Robertson.

Honey Ant Gallery is proud to represent this esteemed artist.  See our full range of works by Shorty by searching in our "paintings" page.


"Water Dreaming", 122 x 91cm, #207

Bill Whiskey Tjapaltjarri - Investment Piece

Honey Ant Gallery is honoured to continue representation of the late, highly acclaimed artist, Bill Whiskey Tjapaltjarri of the Mt Liebig community. 

Currently available is a work of immense presence and scale.  This painting measures 242 x 187cm and displays  Bill's talent at its best.  Like all his work it represents his 'Cockatoo Dreaming' story, relating to the creation of his country in between the Olgas and Ayers Rock.  It features subtle white dotting (representing the Cockatoo's feathers), and vibrant blues and oranges - 2 of his favoured colours in his latest months.

As one of the great Aboriginal artists of all time, Bill is certainly deserving of his spot in this year "Top 50 Most Collectable Artists" list (as named by "Australian Art Collector" in the Jan 2009 issue).

"Rockholes near the Olgas", Ref # 494

Noosa Exhibition -  "Songlines Noosa - 2009" - 3rd until 11th January, at Netanya Resort Hastings Street, Noosa Beach.

Detail of painting by Polly Ngale.



Newly acquired works from the late
Bill Whiskey Tjapaltjarri will be on display (#503).

Sydney Exhibition - "Papunya - My Country" 14 November until 20th December 2008.

Wintjiya Napaltjarri (91 x 91cm, painted in 2004), will be one of the artists represented in the exhibition.  She paints iconic designs associated with the travels of a group of women in the desert near Lake Mackay.

Patrick Tjungurrayi

Patrick Tjungurrayi has won the WA Indigenous Art Award with his monumental series of canvases depicting a scrub fire in his Gibson Desert homeland. “His three pictures as a group had a particularly strong presence and were really pushing the tradition he was working in. These are powerful, masterful, monumental works" said judge Djon Mundine.

Aged about 70, Tjungurrayi is a Pintupi speaker who divides his time between the remote WA settlements of Balgo and Kiwirrkura, which is 400km to the south of Balgo and 800km west of Alice Springs.

Speaking through an interpreter, he said he was very happy to win the award and would spend some of the $50,000 on a car for his son Raymond, who had helped him on his first trip to Perth.

“I am number one,” Tjungurrayi said. “I have to look after too many families so I will look after them with the rest of the money.”

Tjungurrayi has been one of Australia’s most collectable artists for the past five years.

Just back from Sourcing Trip!

In most communities, art centres provide the only source of self-generated income for Aboriginal people.  They play an important role in the financial well being of the community but also provide an important platform for cultural maintenance and education.

Be sure to catch the exhibition if you are in Alice Springs.  It continues until the 9th of November 2008.

Sydney Exhibition - "Watiyawanu Artists of Mt Liebig" 10 October - 1 November 2008.

Debbie Brown Napaltjarri, Peg Leg's Story, 150 x 121cm

Sydney Exhibition - "Rockholes"  8 August - 27 September 2008

In the above picture Warren is shown beside a gnamma hole in the Gibson Desert (W.A).  Gnamma holes are one type of water source desert people rely on, and are formed over long periods of time through the gradual enlargement by chemical weathering of what is initially a small cup-sized depression.  They act like a 'water-tank', ie. they are not spring fed.

Annual National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award