Ikuntji Artists is a member-based, not for profit, Aboriginal art center. It is situated in the community of Haasts Bluff (Ikuntji) and has a board of seven Indigenous directors. Haasts Bluff has a population of around 150 people and is a community rich and diverse in language and culture. Ikuntji is a registered charity with DGR and PBI status.
Ikuntji Artists was first established in 1992, after a series of workshops with Melbourne artist Marina Strocchi, and under the influence of the then community president, the late Esther Jugadai. The art centre was initially set up to fulfil the role of women’s centre providing services such as catering for old people and children in the community. After first experiences made in printing T-shirts, the artists began producing acrylic paintings on linen and handmade paper, which quickly gained the attention of the Australian and international art world as well as earning the centre a reputation for fine art. The focus changed from a women’s centre to an art centre in 2005 with the incorporation of the art centre as Ikuntji Artists Aboriginal Corporation.
The artists draw inspiration from their personal ngurra (country) and Tjukurrpa (Dreaming). They interpret the ancestral stories by using traditional symbols, icons and motifs. The artistic repertoire of Ikuntji Artists is diverse and includes naive as well as highly abstract paintings told by each artist in their personal signature style. Throughout the 21 years of its existence, the art movement in Ikuntji has flourished and left its mark on the fine art world. At the same time, the art centre has been the cultural hub of the community, maintaining, reinforcing and reinvigorating cultural practices through art-making.
Today, Ikuntji Artists exhibit in Australia and internationally. They are represented in major collections across the world.
>> CLICK HERE TO VIEW A SELECTION OF ARTWORKS
Images:
Eunice Napanangka Jack (Courtesy Ikuntji Artists – Photo Chrischna Schmidt);
Daphne Marks and family with her painting (Courtesy Ikuntji Artists – Photo Christian Koch);
Roseranna Larry’s photograph ‘Family – Waltja’, winner 2017 Desart Photography Award;
View of exhibition “Land Drawing – Land of Drawing” in Le Havre, France as part of the artist collaboration project between Ikuntji Artists and Patrice Balvay.