New exhibition Mantanguru brings artwork from the sand to the gallery

Three artists from the remote community of Pukatja in South Australia will make the 2,300km journey to attend the opening weekend of the Mantanguru | From the Sand exhibition, curated by Artitja Fine Art Gallery in partnership with Ernabella Arts.

Opening on Friday, March 8 at Earlywork in South Fremantle, the exhibition is the third held by the Gallery in as many years, in which over twenty paintings and fourteen ceramic vases will be on display.

Some of the respected artists to be exhibited are Freddy Ken, whose Kulata Tjuta stories tell of the spears travelling through the sky to catch the snake man; Rupert Jack’s Pulukangka (Stockman), whose stories tell of his time as a stockman on cattle stations; and Langaliki Lewis’ intricate mark marking in her aerial sand dune paintings.

Gallery Director Anna Kanaris visited the art centre in the Pitjantjatjara lands in August last year to experience the day-to-day activity in what is a thriving and happy creative space which includes both a painting and a ceramic studio.

“Visiting the art centre and quietly watching the artists create is always a profound experience” said Kanaris. “It adds so much depth and understanding to my own experience, which I can then bring back and use to present the art in the most respectful and authentic manner possible.”

The ceramics and paintings on exhibition convey the ancient stories of the Anangu artists from the art centre, located approximately 290 kilometres southeast of Uluru. Ernabella Arts is Australia’s oldest and independent contemporary art centre. It was established in 1948 as a craft studio at which hand‐loomed woven fabrics and hand‐pulled and knotted floor rugs were made and has evolved to become a pillar of national and international success.

“During my visit, one of the artists was telling me about those early days and her memories as a child of the craft making that took place in the centre,” Kanaris continued. “There is a great amount of pride and ownership around the art centre’s history and a strong sense of independence the artists have and hold on to.”

Mantanguru means ‘from the sand’ in Pitjantjatjara language, because ‘that’s how our stories were told before’ say the artists.

Mantanguru | From the Sand is a free exhibition. It opens on Friday, Friday 8, 2024. The artists will be in the gallery for a Meet and Greet on Saturday, March 9. For more info, head to earlywork.gallery