Maruku literally means ‘belonging to black’. This is because Maruku is owned and operated by Aṉangu. For over 35 years Maruku has operated as a not-for-profit art and craft corporation. The distinctive pattern of tali (sand dunes), as seen in the art centre logo, is featured in many of the works of the artists, which mainly comprise walka boards and puṉu (wood carvings).
Approximately 500 Aṉangu artists from 22 communities are part of the collective that is Maruku. Our purpose is to keep culture strong and alive, for future generations of artists. We also provide an important form of income to artists living in remote communities across the Central Desert.
Currently, Maruku has a warehouse based in Muṯitjuḻu community and a retail gallery at Uluṟu–Kata Tjuṯa National Park Cultural Centre. Maruku artists mainly create walka boards, and puṉu (wood carvings). Artists from Muṯitjuḻu also paint for Maruku.
Martumili Artists was established by Martu people living in the communities of Parnpajinya / Newman, Jigalong, Parnngurr, Punmu, Kunawarritji, Irrungadji and Warralong. The artists and their families are the traditional custodians of vast stretches of the Great Sandy, Little Sandy and Gibson deserts, as well as the Karlamilyi / Rudall River area. Most Martu people maintained an entirely independent, nomadic desert lifestyle until the 1950s and 1960s when they walked into settlements in response to a long and severe drought.
Martumili Artists is based in the East Pilbara Arts Centre in Parnpajinya, with artists working in the six other remote East Pilbara communities. Martumili Artists is a place of autonomy for Martu artists; it is a pukurlpa (happy) and safe place where everyone is welcome. Martu artists are involved in every aspect of the art centre, and it is a place where art-making is also the practice of place-making. Bright, bold and expressive art encapsulates the contemporary aesthetic and cultural authenticity of Martumili artist, whose stories and knowledge of country and culture directly inform their practice.
Ltyentye Apurte Traditional Craft Centre is a 100% Arrernte-owned Aboriginal art centre and a proud member of Desart. The Traditional Craft Centre was founded by Arrernte men living in Ltyentye Apurte Community who learnt the art of making wooden tools, instruments and weapons from elders in their families and the community. The objects made include kwetere (nulla-nullas), terurre (clapsticks), urtne (coolamons) and alye (fighting and hunting boomerangs). It is a social enterprise run with administrative support from Atyenhenge Atherre Aboriginal Corporation. The Traditional Craft Centre maintains a strong theme of intergenerational knowledge transfer that the artists draw on and which inspires them to share their knowledge with younger generations. The artist members regularly undertake bush trips to source the material for their artworks, which feature a variety of wood from local trees such as ankerre (coolabah), blue mallee (tyertepe) and artetye (mulga).
Keringke Arts is situated in the community of Ltyentye Apurte / Santa Teresa and was established in 1989. The community was named after the stand of bloodwood trees that grow at the foot of the hills to the west, and Keringke Arts is named after an important and ancient rock hole that was formed when the ancestor Kangaroo was passing through this land.
The Eastern Arrernte artists of Keringke Arts today produce a wide variety of art, reflecting the colour, rhythm and ambience of the land that is their country. They are represented nationally and internationally in many collections, and their work is prized for its unique style and connection to an ancient living culture. The artists use pattern, colour, shape and design to create paintings that depict their sense of country, culture and self in a style developed over a 30-year period.
These shapes and designs may have features common to ancient rock art found throughout the traditional country of Eastern Arrernte. Some designs may reflect sand and body paintings. Most commonly, in this contemporary form, the art is not attributed to any particular thing, but expresses the world of the particular artist.
Kaltjiti Arts is a remote community-based Aboriginal art centre in Kaltjiti / Fregon in the Aṉangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands (APY Lands) of South Australia. The heart of the small community is the art centre, which is a place of inspiration and dynamism, and a cultural focal point.
Through their artworks, elders and senior artists teach younger generations about important cultural traditions and stories, passing on knowledge that has come to them from their ancestors. Senior artists enjoy the opportunity of working together on collaborative major works, which are also used to teach younger generations skills in painting techniques and storytelling. It is this commitment to Tjukurpa and traditional painting techniques that has allowed Kaltjiti Arts to establish a reputation for artworks of the highest quality, which are also rich in cultural integrity.
Iwantja Arts is an Aboriginal owned and governed art centre, located in the rocky desert country of Indulkana Community on the Aṉangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands (APY Lands) in the remote north-west of South Australia. Iwantja Arts is named after the Iwantja Creek where Indulkana Community was founded, which is near the site of the Tjurki (Owl) Tjukurpa. The art centre was established in the early 1980s by founding artists and directors Alec Baker and Sadie Singer, and Iwantja Arts now supports the artistic careers of more than 40 predominantly Yankunytjatjara artist members, providing access to artistic and professional development. Iwantja Arts is renowned for its innovative and culturally rich projects with prestigious outcomes that celebrate Aṉangu cultural strength and artistic excellence.
Iltja Ntjarra (Many Hands) Art Centre was established in 2004 and is proudly Aboriginal owned. The art centre’s focus is on supporting the watercolour artists of the Hermannsburg School movement, who through their art continue to share their skills and stories in honour of Albert Namatjira, one of Australia’s most famous 20th century artists. Albert’s long line of Elders have maintained this strong tradition for over 80 years.
By continuing his legacy, the artists actively sustain Indigenous culture for all Australians to appreciate. The artists at Iltja Ntjarra Art Centre depict the stunning beauty of the Tjoritja / West MacDonnell Ranges using diverse techniques and mediums, and are renowned for their scenic interpretations in watercolour. Our directors and senior artists support this internationally acclaimed arts practice by facilitating the transfer of cultural knowledge within their community via watercolour painting. The art centre supports Western Aranda landscape artists to generate income from their art, on their country in Central Australia.
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 an impressive 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 their 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 for example: naive as well as highly abstract paintings told by each artist in their personal signature style. Throughout the 27 years of its existence the art movement in Ikuntji has flourished and constantly left its mark in 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 has eight key artists, who exhibit in Australia and internationally. They are represented in major collections across the globe.
The Hermannsburg Potters are a dedicated group of Western Aranda artists creating vibrant handmade ceramic pots that encompass collective and individually lived histories in their country.
The Ntaria / Hermannsburg artists continue a 30-year legacy, sculpting and painting their visual histories and contemporary settings, speaking to their cultural beliefs, traditions and values. The Hermannsburg Potters iconic sculptured terracotta pots are made using the traditional hand-coil technique. In the early days, it was found that this was the most suitable method for working in this remote and challenging context. Coils are carefully rolled from the clay, and the artists build up their pots slowly, pinching the rim of the pot, coil on coil. When the form is complete, the surface is smoothed and shaped with a wooden paddle, and then burnished with the back of a metal spoon. When the pots are bone-dry, they are decorated with underglazes (ceramic-based material, or slips, with pigment). The pots are then fired to earthenware temperatures (1080 degrees Celsius).
Recently, the artists have been working with locally sourced clay to create their unique artworks.
