Warakurna: All the Stories Got into our Minds and Eyes is an exhibition of contemporary paintings and sculptures that document a new art movement emerging from the Western Desert community of Warakurna. These paintings combine familiar Western Desert symbols and dots with a new, more figurative style, to recreate scenes of everyday life and to tell historical and contemporary stories.
This exhibition was on show at the National Museum of Australia from 7 December 2012 to 3 November 2013.
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Listen to the artists
Warakurna artists Eunice Porter and Judith Chambers, in Canberra for the official launch of the exhibition, explain the 'pukulpa' or happiness derived from sharing stories, culture and paintings with their children and the broader community. Recorded at the National Museum in December 2012
Warakurna Artists introduce their country and art centre. Eunice Yunurupa Porter draws the Seven Sisters Dreaming in the sand. Community members make sculptures from tjanpi (grass) and purnu (wood), and hunt for goanna. Courtesy Ngaanyatjarra Media, Alice Springs
This project was assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body.
The exhibition has been on show at:
- Godinymayin Yijard Rivers Arts and Culture Centre, Katherine, Northern Territory, 20 June to 2 August 2014
- Port Pirie Regional Art Gallery, South Australia, 19 December 2014 to 26 January 2015
- Western Australian Museum, Geraldton, Western Australia, 13 March to 24 May 2015
- Western Australian Museum, Albany, Western Australia, 6 June to 24 August 2015
- Western Australian Museum, Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Western Australia, 19 September to 25 October 2015
- Western Australian Museum, Perth, Western Australia, 7 November 2015 to 10 January 2016
- Griffith Regional Art Gallery, New South Wales, 16 January 2016 to 27 April 2016
- Cowra Regional Art Gallery, New South Wales, 25 June to 31 July 2016
- Broken Hill Regional Art Gallery, New South Wales, 12 August to 24 September 2016
- New England Regional Art Museum, Armidale, New South Wales, 11 November 2016 to 5 February 2017
- Griffith Regional Art Gallery, New South Wales, 18 February to 26 March 2017
- Bundaberg Regional Art Gallery, Queensland, 1 September to 22 October 2017
- Warrnambool Art Gallery, Victoria, 1 December 2017 to 11 March 2018
- Gladstone Regional Art Gallery & Museum, Queensland, 26 May to 4 August 2018
- Warwick Art Gallery, Queensland, 24 August to 6 October 2018
- Hawkesbury Regional Gallery, Windsor, New South Wales, 25 January to 31 March 2019