Judith Inkamala joined the Hermannsburg Potters group in 1993 and immediately displayed a great aptitude for working with clay and underglaze decoration. Her pots reflect a predisposition for balanced, symmetrical objects, and reveal an accomplished hand in the craftsmanship. Judith is a senior member of the Hermannsburg Potters, and is an inspiring and respected cultural leader for her enduring commitment to the group and her community.
In 1996, Inkamala was invited to participate in a cultural and pottery exchange with the Sasak Potters of Lombok, Indonesia. She displayed rapid progress following her trip, where she exchanged knowledge and techniques with the Indonesian Potters. There she learned to make large open neck storage jars in the style of the Sasak Potters.
Inkamala takes inspiration from her Western Aranda country and transforms these visions into wonderfully crafted terracotta pots and occasionally paintings on canvas. Her pots are beautifully crafted and show a great attention to detail. Her paintings seem to invite her pots into the landscape – as skillfully painted as the pot is constructed.
Judith Inkamala has had a long standing association with creative work and as a child was known to spend time at the Albert Namatjira household as she was great friends with his grand-daughter Gloria. As a child, Judith recalls watching the famous Albert Namatjira and his kinsmen painting in the camp near the Mission, going to the painters’ camp after school and watching the men paint. Her historical works on the Hermannsburg Mission and, as well as her works on the Namatjira story, are of particular interest to collectors both in Australia and internationally.
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Collections, florilège / Selected Collections
- Araluen Arts Centre, Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia
- Australian Institute & Outback Centre, Darling Harbour, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
- Gordon Darling Collection, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Kerry Stokes Collection, Perth, Western Australia,
- Australia National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory,
- Australia National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Victoria,
- Australia National Portrait Gallery, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory,
- Australia Parliament House Collection, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory,
- Australia Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane, Queensland,
- Australia Queensland University of Technology Art Museum, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia Shepparton Art Museum, Shepparton, Victoria, Australia
- The University of New South Wales Art Collection, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Whitehorse City Council, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Private collections
- University of Melbourne, Medical History Museum, Melbourne VIC
Expositions, florilège / Selected exhibitions
2021 Painting Now – Peindre aujourd’hui en terres aborigènes, IDAIA, Le Havre, France
Judith Inkamala with her work part of exhibition Desert Mob 2020 – Courtesy Hermannsburg Potters
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SOURCE: Hermannsburg Potters.