Arrernte and Western Arrarnta artist Marlene Rubuntja alongside Arrernte and Southern Luritja artist Sally M Nangala Mulda have developed their practice to be completely recognisable and representative of the place in which they live, Mparntwe/Alice Springs. Working from Tangentyere Artists and Yarrenyty Arltere Artists (art centres), these senior women have established themselves as two of Australia’s leading visual artists.

The third Artbank + ACMI Commission, Two Girls From Amoonguna, encompasses video, soft sculpture and paintings, with the centerpiece the animated work titled Arrkutja Tharra, Kungka Kutjara, Two Girls.

Arrkutja Tharra, Kungka Kutjara, Two Girls delves into the reality of First Peoples’ experiences in Central Australia by chronicling the artists’ successes and struggles. The work centres Sally and Marlene’s voices, as well as the voices of their younger family members, who can be heard in the animation. It was made in collaboration with Ludo Studio, the Emmy-award winning production company behind Bluey, Robbie Hood and The Strange Chores, along with script writer Courtney Collins, Left of Elephant Sound and Tangentyere Artists producer Ellanor Webb.

Figures from Marlene’s soft sculptures and Sally’s acrylic on linen paintings star in the animation, embedded on top of Marlene’s ink on paper works of the Central Australian landscape. Bringing together both artists’ practice, Sally’s iconic cursive painted lettering produce the subtitles.

Having grown up at the Amoonguna Settlement outside of Mparntwe/Alice Springs in the early 1960s, the two friends wouldn’t reconnect until much later in life, after both of them had seen their fair amount of hardships; now having achieved so much, they are immensely proud of one another.

Two Girls from Amoonguna is an exhibition about two of Australia’s leading artists and their journey to get there.

Watch Two Girls from Amoonguna HERE

Read more HERE

Yarrenyty Arltere Artists and Tangentyere Artists, Blak Parliament House, 2021, commissioned by the National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra for the 4th National Indigenous Art Triennial: Ceremony.

Blak Parliament House is a 2021 installation of soft sculptures and paintings created collaboratively by members of Yarrenyty Altere Artists and Tangentyere Artists, Aboriginal-run art centres located in Mpwarnte/Alice Springs, Northern Territory. The structure is surrounded by people, animals, meetings and debates, as well as placards protesting the treatment of Aboriginal people.

The soft sculptures, created by members of Yarrenyty Altere Artists, are made from reclaimed woollen blankets, carefully dyed with pigments sourced from local plants, tea, and corroding metal, embellished with brightly coloured woollen thread and feathers. Alongside this is a series of paintings taking the form of placards created by artists from Tangentyere Artists, they bear slogans such as ‘SAFE WATER FOR EVERYONE’ and ‘OUR KIDS BELONG WITH US’.

For many First Nations peoples, especially those living in remote and regional areas, Kamberri/Canberra is seen as a distant place where decisions are made that affect their everyday lives. This interpretation of Parliament House shows Aboriginal people and others meeting, debating, and taking an active role in the political process.

LISTEN TO MARLENE RUBUNJA AND READ MORE HERE

IMAGE

Yarrenyty Arltere Artists and Tangentyere Artists

Blak Parliament House 2021

National Gallery of Australia

Yarrenyty Arltere Artists In Our Hands are soft sculptures made with bush dyed woollen blankets, embellished with wool and feathers for the 21st Biennale of Sydney. 

SUPERPOSITION: Equilibrium & Engagement, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Sydney, 2018. Commissioned by the Biennale of Sydney with generous assistance from Georgie and Alastair Taylor. 

Yarrenyty Arltere Artists Founded 2000 in Alice Springs, Australia Live and work in Alice Springs. Participating artists:

Cornelius Ebatarinja (Western Arrernte/Arrernte), Trudy Inkamala (Western Arrernte/Luritja), Roxanne Petrick (Alyawarre), Sonya Petrick (Eastern Arrernte/Alyawarre), Dulcie Raggett (Luritja), Marlene Rubuntja (Arrernte), Katherine Ryder (Eastern Arrernte), Rosabella Ryder (Arrernte), Dulcie Sharpe (Luritja/Arrernte), Rhonda Sharpe (Luritja)

Yarrenyty Arltere Artists is a not-for-profit Aboriginal owned and run art centre located in the Larapinta Valley Town Camp, Alice Springs, one of the oldest Town Camp communities on Arrernte country.

Yarrenyty Arltere Artists present a series of the whimsical soft sculptures that demonstrate the unique style for which they are renowned. Representing the past, present and future, the pieces reflect memory and traditional stories as well as exploring contemporary issues and challenges faced by the community. Embodying local flora and fauna, stories of family and country, or scenes from everyday life in the Town Camp, the sculptures are made from recycled woollen blankets which are dyed using local plants, tea and corroded metal. Embroidered with brightly coloured wool thread and embellished with feathers, the soft sculptures are filled with character and humour. They are emblematic of the vitality of the Town Camp and its people, and the ingenuity of the Yarrenyty Arltere Artists who, through creativity and perseverance, have reignited the confidence and spirit of their community.

READ MORE HERE

NGV TRIENNIAL

Victoria Amazonica 2017, was created by Brazilian designers Fernando and Humberto Campana in collaboration with Yarrenyty Arltere Artists, designers Elliat Rich and James Young and the Centre for Appropriate Technology – all based in Alice Springs in the Northern Territory.

Based initially on a sketch Humberto Campana made in Alice Springs of a giant South American lily, this exuberant, large-scale soft domed structure features intricate embroidery by the Yarrenyty Arltere Artists that tells stories of rain, rivers and water.