KALTJITI MEN AND WOMEN
Artists of the Sand Dune Country

Wati Wangka Ngintaka Tjukurpa
 

Kaltjiti Arts and Crafts is an incorporated, community based, Aboriginal owned art centre at Fregon (Kaltjiti) in the remote north-west of South Australia on the freehold Anangu Pitjantjatjara / Yankunytjatjara ( APY) Lands. Art and craft has been a part of the Kaltjiti community since the beginning of the outstation days in 1961. Connected to Ernabella Arts through this outstation movement until 1974 the artwork has been strongly based in the medium of fabric with an emphasis on batik, with pieces in the collections of the National Gallery of Victoria, Flinders University Art Museum, and South Australian Museum to name a few. Continuing the tradition of fabric art through applied design – screenprinted fabric, designs on Kashmir Rugs – has been an important component of the Kaltjiti Arts Business development since the mid 1990’s. The move towards painting as the major art form in recent years has seen a contemporary style of artwork develop, yet the artists have maintained the essence of their original style. Strong cultural traditions of dance, language, story and connection to country, are reflected in the artwork They have also, in the process, reaffirmed their versatility as artists. Originally a women’s place, more recently men have joined the art centre, painting their stories to be exhibited at the first Fregon men’s exhibition in June 2009. Managed for the past 20 years by Bev Peacock, the ‘malpara ’ way of working closely together with Anangu, maintaining a balance between art production, cultural maintenance and economics, is the cornerstone of the art centre’s operation. The APY Lands regional arts organisation, Ananguku Arts, had its origins in the Kaltjiti Arts Centre - confirming the value of the art centre as a place of empowerment, reconciliation and creativity. Currently some fifty artists work with the arts centre, producing paintings, weavings, carvings and prints for exhibition and sale throughout Australia and internationally. In February 2009, Kaltjiti Arts held a major and highly successful exhibition at Flinders University City Art Museum, Adelaide, of works created during the more than 3 year documentary process for their book Painting the Song: Kaltjiti artists of the sand dune country.

Text: Kaltjiti Arts / Beverly Peacock

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LANDMARK NEW BOOK ON PITJANTJATJARA ART
June 3 2009.

The first book tracing the modern history of the art of the Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara (PY) lands of northern South Australia is to be released shortly. Almost 20 years ago the manager of Kaltjiti Arts, Beverley Peacock, (who remains in the position today) suggested developing a book on the art of Kaltjiti artists whose lands stretch across thousands of kilometres of the south western desert from Uluru to deep into Western Australia. In 2005, the artists and Peacock commissioned Kaltjiti’s first art adviser in 1975, Diana James, to work with them on a series of back to country trips to record their rapidly disappearing histories and visual culture. The result is Painting the Song – a beautifully produced and illustrated unique collaboration between the artists, their arts centre manager, the author and their publishers. Like Geoffrey Bardon at Papunya and Winifred Hilliard at Ernabella, James’ life has become intrinsically interwoven with those of the artists. James is now a fluent Pitjantjatjara speaker but when she first went to the lands as a kungkwarra (young girl) she `knew nothing’ according to artist Iwana Ken. She quickly grew to love the lands and people with whom she has now worked for more than 30 years as art advisor and cultural tour organiser throughout the region which includes Papunya, Docker River, Tjukurla, Amata, Irrunytju and Pipalyatjara. In 2006 James gained a PhD from ANU for her work in this area. From 2006 James worked with Kaltjiti Arts recording their history, Tjukurpa and relationship between their land and art on series of extensive trips to the artists’ traditional countries across thousands of kilometres visiting special sites and people’s traditional lands. James also delved deep into archival material working with the families of the artists to bring to light never before published material – including rare 1940s photographs of the artists forebears by anthropologist Charles Mountford. The book details the dynamic history of Kaltjiti Arts – from its humble beginnings in a primitive tin shed to a leading contemporary arts centre. It also documents, for the first time, the modern history of batik, carving, weaving and painting across these lands. To date, despite its longevity and innovative art developments, Kaltjiti Arts has been something of a quiet achiever in the arts centre movement. It is described by James as a "centre of hope". "Media reports on the APY lands are often very negative," she says. "This arts centre has been operating for 34 years. It’s owned and run by the artists and is one of the most constant sources of employment and enjoyment with works being shown and sold around the world. It’s a huge achievement and this book we hope will significantly put Kaltjiti Arts on the map." A rare blend of scholarly research, first hand account and vibrant imagery, Painting the Song is certain to become a classic on the subject.

Text: McCulloch and McCulloch Australian Art Books / Susan McCulloch