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Warlukurlangu Aboriginal Artistıs cooperative
The Roosevelt Hotel
September 18 - November 13, 2007


The Roosevelt Hotel,1531 7th Avenue, Seattle, WA, is proud to announce an exhibition of acrylic paintings on canvas by artists from Yuendemu, Utopia and Papunya from September 18th through November 13th. Additional Aboriginal canvases and prints will be on display at the Jeffrey Moose Gallery Art Mart space located in the underground concourse connecting Rainier Square with One Union Square.

Yuendemu, home of the Warlukurlangu Aboriginal Artistıs cooperative, is one of the three most famous of all the Central Desert art communities, together with the towns of Utopia and Papunya. Founded in 1985 as an cooperative meant to protect the rights of artists and the integrity of their stories, "Warlukurlangu" is known world-wide for their traditional ground paintings, the root of all the famous dot-painting imagery from Australia's desert.

Papunya, not far from Yuendemu, is the actual birthplace of the painting movement. It was in 1971 that British school teacher Geoffrey Bardon encouraged elders to paint sacred designs on the sides of a school building for the benefit of the children. The Utopia community started by Batiking fabric, but quickly turned to canvas after the successes in Papunya and Yuendemu. Utopia artist Emily Kngwarreye, a true innovator, became an international art star whose canvases fetched six figures during her lifetime and whose work is compared with Jackson Pollock and other Abstract Expressionists.

The exhibition will include works by Yuendemu artists Andrea Martin, (who grew up working in the outback co-op), Lady Robertson (showing since the 80ıs worldwide) and "Shorty" Robertson, a new, yet mature original talent. From Papunya, Bombatu Napangardi (raised and tauight to paint by deceased art star Yala Yala Gibbs) will show a traditional Pintupi story. From Utopia, internationally known talent Gloria Petyarre, who has a large work hanging in the Seattle Art Museum, will show one of her famous "Medicine Leaves" works and a relative of Emily Kngwarreye, Evelyn Pultara, winner of the "General Painting" award in 2005ısTelstra Aboriginal Art Awards, will show one of her contemporary, Kngwarreye -styled works.

Australian Aboriginal dot-paintings are essentially aerial maps of sacred places, composed of dots, animal tracks and symbols which describe the Dreamtime (Creation) myths of the plants and animals which have sustained select language groups for as long as 200,000 years.


Richie Robertson
"Ngapa Jukurrpa / Water Dreaming"
acrylic on canvas
30"x24"
2006


Bombatu Napangardi
"Iwlyarra /Rock hole"
acrylic on canvas
35.5"x47.24"
2006


Gloria Petyarre
"Medicine Leaves"
acrylic on canvas
15.75"x35.5"
2004


Evelyn Pultara
"Yam Dreaming"
acrylic on canvas
35.5"x47.24"
2006

 
           
 
       

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